This project was inspired by Hawkeye and the selfless work he does for the adaptive community. After we first met, he agreed to let me join him on one of his fundraising hikes around the San Juan Mountains. I originally intended to capture his story in a short film, but as we chatted along the trail I learned about the remarkable adaptive community and an even greater story began to unfold.

Deep in the woods of the Weminuche Wilderness, my mind started to draw connections between Hawkeye’s motivations and the fundamental need for nature we have as humans. I realized the lengths that individuals with disabilities go to keep their connection to nature alive, and I saw a way to share a message that I could relate to my own life.

My mom was diagnosed with a rare cognitive disability in her early 50s called Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA). She still has her physical abilities but struggles with a mental paralysis. It developed through my high school years and I slowly watched her lose her ability to read and write, to cook and get dressed, and eventually do anything independently. Her orientation diminished until she couldn’t leave the house by herself because she kept getting lost in the neighborhood. Although her brain is deteriorating, she is completely aware of her situation. I take her on walks through the woods, skiing, biking and rafting because I see the joy it brings her. With a degenerative terminal illness, nature may be the only thing that improves her health and wellbeing. This film is dedicated to her.