photography: fall in the upper peninsula

waterfalls with golden colors, paths drenched in leaves, glowing tree covers, views of lake superior, all the fall vibes i need right now as i eagerly await september

i love taking photographs, but i’ve never really shared them with the world. i am just thrilled to have found a space where i can share these moments in nature.

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this is the first of many photograph posts to come.

my vision for my photo posts is to nurture beautiful and often seasonal vibes,

share travel photos from around the world (the u.s., latin america, europe, asia)

and also to talk about my feelings and experiences in relation to my photographs!

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all photos are my own © andrew jelinek

out for a run along lake superior (presque isle park)

fall 2020: i spent a week in the upper peninsula of michigan at peak autumn.

we were based in a small town outside marquette where i remember going for these gorgeous runs as the leaves fell down around me. so many happy memories: hikes to the tops of hilltops with views of lake superior, walks on rocky beaches along the ice cold water, crisp fresh cool air while out walking in nature. little kids running around trick-or-treating as snow fell and frost set on the earth’s golden leaves.

i was able to spend time there in the fall again, in 2023.

the fall is the best time to be there.

and my pictures come from two spectacular autumns.

both times i was having an existential crisis (as i always do in the fall) and listening to insane amounts of phoebe bridgers while walking, running, and hiking in the embrace of the sparkling light of nature: glistening ice, firey leaves, and water glowing gold.

tahquamenon falls state park (above)

presque isle park (above and below)

tahquamenon falls state park (above and below)

something i especially love about fall is that sense of change.

i feel like when change comes with fall, it just hits differently than when changes comes with spring. when the fall hits i find myself digging into my soul. i find myself going on long walks in nature, loving even grey skies, and just thinking so much more.

i love to sit and relax outside in the summer, but when the cool air hits at autumn, the need to walk becomes urgent. i can walk, i mean, without being utterly disgusting, but also to be out in the fall is to be immersed in rebirth. for me fall is the start of the year.

i love steadily watching as the leaves turn from summer to autumn.

hiking outside marquette, michigan (above and below)

and what about when we are walking outside in the fall,

and we reach the top of some hill and we see something just so beautiful that we feel guilty for climbing back down?

i get to these points in space and i just want to linger there forever.

views from the top of sugarloaf mountain (above and below)

above and below: views from walks in the woods

waterfalls:

i love waterfalls especially in the fall.

waterfalls are like us. waterfalls exist as a flow, not a thing. and in the fall they are flowing and swirling with so many colors, just like we are in our souls.

when i think of myself as a waterfall,

i think about how no one can define me before i’ve already flowed away.

tahquamenon falls state park (above and below)

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