1/30s • f/8.0 • 35mm • ISO 250
October 29, 2026
Where Roots Take Hold
The twisted cedar grips the shore,
In weathered ribs of gray and brown;
Content to hold what went before,
And keep the timber standing down.
No hurried growth along the bank,
Where roots are braided into stone;
Through centuries the waters sank,
And left the shoreline cedar grown.
A few bright embers at its feet,
Fallen from branches out of sight;
While quiet earth and water meet,
To hold the ancient wood upright.
A study in age and shoreline endurance along an Adirondack water’s edge. These ancient northern white cedars cling to the sloped embankment, their slow-grown trunks twisted by centuries of wind and shifting ice. Exposed, braided roots clasp the damp soil just above the waterline, while stray crimson maple leaves settle into the duff beneath the furrowed bark.
Field Notes: Multi-frame vertical panoramic stitch captured on the Canon R5 to document the full vertical scale from water-level root hold through the upper canopy without optical distortion.