I left the southern border with 10 rolls of film in my pack. Every shutter release from then on was a deliberate decision to spend one of my limited number of exposures. Judging what is or isn’t worth risking an exposure for was the hardest part about taking a film camera on the PCT. The physicality of film photography enforces patience.

Yet these were our first days in the Sierras and my patience has never been tested more. I wanted to preserve as much as I could of these memories I felt I was making. Now, looking back at my 36 attempts at this memory game, I think I must have been partly successful because I am met with nostalgia, or some sense of gratitude and contentment.