The Story Behind The Photo...

Have you ever found peace in a place that made you feel completely small?

I stood on the shores of Stanley Lake just as the sky began to bruise with evening light. The air was thin and cold at 6,500 feet, carrying the scent of pine and the deep, metallic tang of glacial water. Before me, McGown Peak rose jagged and sharp, a fortress of granite that has stood watch over this valley for centuries.

This alpine jewel in the Sawtooth Wilderness has a quiet history, first known to the Shoshone and Bannock tribes who summered here, and later to weary miners seeking rest. Today, it’s a sanctuary for anyone willing to brave the chill for a moment of silence.

The red canoe sat silent on the glass-like water, the only ripple in a perfect reflection. Photographing here is a lesson in patience. The wind can shatter the mirror in seconds, erasing the mountains from the water. I held my breath, waiting for the light to catch the peaks just right.

As the sun's last light embraced the mountain face, turning it gold against the deep blue, I thought of Psalm 23. “He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” It wasn’t just a poetic verse; it was a physical reality. In the shadow of that massive peak, witnessing water so calm it felt like a dream, the noise of the world faded. I found a restoration that didn’t come from striving, but from simply being still in the presence of something greater.

📖 Scripture (featured on the artwork):

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
—Psalm 23:1-3