Bridge to Nowhere | Shout outs to the Deerfield River

Let me introduce you to my former office – the Deerfield River and one of my regular hangouts along River Road was the Bridge to Nowhere.

I’m going to take you back a few years so these pictures make more sense.

Right out of high school, Westfield High Class of 2002, I went to Massachusetts flagship university – UMass Amherst, just up I-91 from Westfield. With an interest in the outdoors, biology, chemistry and environmental science I majored in Natural Resource Studies. In the spring of my freshman year I took a chance and responded to an advertisement in the college paper “Whitewater Rafting Guides – will train” or something to that effect. It just so happened that I had been rafting since I was 8 years old and had rafted some of best rivers in New England and even one in Alaska. Wouldn’t this be a dream summer job??

First day of training – March 15, 2003. CrabApple Whitewater in Charlemont, MA was training 6 new recruits for the year. I think the air temperature that day was a brisk 28 degrees and we suited up in wet suits and learned all about reading a river, paddle strokes and how to run up and down a slippery wet, rubber raft. Yes we did go in for swims too. Some spring break I had for myself I was sun burned and the most sore I’ve ever been in my life – still to the day nothing tops it. We did that Saturday & Sunday for the next 4 weeks. Even rafted on Easter Sunday while it snowed.

Well I spent the summer 4, 5, 6 days a week touring this class 3 stretch of the Deerfield River with school groups & scouts, families and bachelorette parties. Met life long friends, got really tan and pretty strong. Summer dream job – yes!

Another summer of that in 2004 and I loved it. Even considered picking up my life and guiding on some rivers out west. I guess I was itching to pursue a job that I really enjoyed. I’ve been fortunate to grow up with parents that happen to really enjoy what they do. My Dad leads outdoor recreation programs (hence the previous rafting experience) and my Mom loves her job as a maternity nurse. It just didn’t make sense to me to continue on a college path that would lead to a job that didn’t excite me anymore. The intense paper writing was foreshadowing a career that wasn’t quite what I signed up for.

Over the 04/05 Winter, my bosses at CrabApple Whitewater – Frank & Jen Mooney approached me to take the position of photographer. They knew my hard work ethic and as the go to person at parties that always had a point and shoot camera handy. So they set me up with the enough photography basics, shoot like this, click this button and bam I’m they’re new photographer.

I loved it! I loved being able to take a series of moments – raft of people coming through a rapid – and make it something extraordinary. Sometimes it would be business as usual and then other times you’d have someone falling out and to have the sole responsibility for capturing that is an awful lot of pressure. There are no do overs. A truly fleeting moment and with photographic proof that harrowing swim through frothy whitewater just became something to brag about.

The best part of my day was getting to show off my work to a crowd of +150. Some of these captured moments were absolutely priceless.

My 6-7 days a week of shooting were a perfect training ground for surviving anything and everything that can go wrong. Rain, yup. Car troubles, sure. Camera issues, uh-huh. Oh I could tell you some stories…. And it’s made me a more dynamic and experienced photographer for it.

I did that March-October 2005, 2006 and part of 2007.

I think back to that section of my resume fondly. CrabApple Whitewater taught me the importance of knowing people’s names – not “Hey you” – that never works. Work really hard, all day, until the work is done  - people notice. Write thank you notes – that was a big one at CAW.

So those photos up there were taken January earlier this year while visiting the area. Now I spend more time in front of the computer, dodging traffic driving around Boston, less time in the sun, surrounded by trees and rushing water, but thoroughly grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had. They certainly have shaped me and my current photography.