Pictures or Views?

Today (Memorial Day) my family decided to go to Lassen Volcanic National Park. As I write this blog post, I am on my way home, looking through all the pictures that I took and reflecting on the day. The views we saw on our hikes and just driving through the park were gorgeous- the colors were vibrant, there was snow, and everything just came together perfectly. However, I feel as if I missed out on truly experiencing. many of these moments because I was so focused on taking pictures to post, put on snap chat, or just have when I could be enjoying the moment in person. I don’t believe that taking pictures is in any way bad, but too many and when it gets to a point where there is more of a focus on taking pictures than hiking, it isn’t good. There were moments when I would go further to the edge of a cliff just to get a picture or stop on a semi-unstable rock to capture what I, in the moment, thought was a perfect picture. I have been hiking, camping, kayaking, and biking since what feels like the day I was born. Our family goes on at least two camping trips a year, at one of them being a coastal kayak/bike/camping trip. I have so many fun memories from every single one of these trips, even though I only have pictures from a few. I have noticed that as I get older, I remember these trips more through the pictures I take and what I put on social media rather than actual memories of fun events and experiences, and that makes me sad. My focus has been shifted by my attachment to media and digital preservation of moments, and I want to change it. I’m glad that I have pictures from this trip, and maybe I’ll look back at them and remember some fun thing that happened. But truthfully, I don’t know if bringing my phone to take pictures instead of being fully immersed in the moment was good trade-off. I’m sure that there is a balance between the two, and for now, I’ll work to find it. (The pictures I attached to this post are pictures that I took while hiking)