Wapiti
You can’t get there from here.
The paved road turns to dirt after half a mile. Right at one fork, left at the next. The sun’s reflection off the lake beaming through the windshield is your first greeting.
Almost there. Paradise found. Wapiti.
Maine is a strange state. It’s a place where people like to be left alone. It’s also a place where people are warm. The people live amongst nature, not in spite of it. This is precisely the function of Wapiti - selective solitude in nature.
The word “Wapiti” is a term for the American elk. It is also the name of the cabin on Pocasset Lake that my grandfather purchased in the 60s. It sits 12 feet from the lake’s edge… it would be illegal to build that close to the water now. I’ve spent summers here with my extended family since I was zero. It’s where I got to know my cousins and learned many valuable life lessons. Fishing taught me patience, driving a boat taught me mindfulness, learning how to build a fire taught me how valuable it is to know how to build a fire, autumns taught me to marvel, summers taught me that my family members will always be my best friends.
Camera: NikonFM2N and SonyA600 | Film Stock: Kodak UltraMax 400
Location: Wayne, Maine, USA
Cover Photo: Wapiti, overlooking Pocasset Lake
