Location: Mountain trail, Oregon

Date Captured: March 2025

Camera: iPhone (Portrait Mode)

Photo:

A smiling trio—father and sons—standing on a snow-covered trail, surrounded by tall evergreens. A snapshot of legacy in motion: laughter, youth, and the steady presence of a parent guiding the way.

Journal Entry:

If there’s one photo that says everything I hope my legacy could be, it’s this one.

This wasn’t a posed moment. It wasn’t planned. It was just a pause on the trail—me, my boys, and the path stretching behind and ahead of us. But when I look at it now, I see something bigger than just a hike. I see what matters most.

I see the older one carrying his own gear, eyes full of curiosity and quiet confidence. I see the little one wide-eyed and beaming, riding on my back without a care in the world. And I see myself—maybe a little tired, maybe a little weathered, but present. Grateful. A witness to a moment that will never happen exactly this way again.

We talk a lot about legacy like it’s some grand achievement waiting at the end of the road. But I think it’s more like this: showing up, being part of their story, passing down the love of wild places and the rhythm of the trail. It’s in every shared step, every story told, every laugh echoing through the trees.

Someday they’ll walk their own paths. And maybe they’ll remember these hikes. Maybe they’ll tell stories about their weird, bearded dad who always brought a camera and talked about moss like it was sacred. Or maybe they’ll just remember how it felt—safe, free, and full of wonder.

And maybe that’s enough.

Because if I leave anything behind in this world, I hope it’s this: a love for adventure, a reverence for nature, and the knowledge that they were always, always loved.

– NV