Grateful for Nature (G4N)

During the 2020 lock-down and shelter-in-place, I found myself drawn to the outdoors. I always loved to spend time in nature – kayaking, backpacking, mountain biking – but during the pandemic, I felt an increased appreciation for the natural world.

Over the years, I have kayaked on a mountain lake in north Georgia with my trusty GoPro and a curious eye. During the worst of the pandemic, time seemed to stand still. Minutes seemed like hours. The media didn’t help.

Outside, in nature, time marched onward. It flowed. Winter blossomed into Spring, then transformed into the lushness of Summer. As the earth tilted on its axis, the green of Summer dissolved to the earthy colors of Autumn, and then the air got colder and Winter again arrived. 

I saw this all happening in real time, and I reveled in the details – the red Maple flowers that precede the emerging leaves; the turtle warming under the sun on a log; water bugs able to skip across the lake’s surface; the movement of constantly-changing clouds, combined with the drifting of my kayak.

The G4N series of short videos brings the viewer into my state of mind, with a focus on the details of nature and a meditation on nature’s value to maintaining our sanity. 

The G4N Series can be viewed at Vimeo.com/vanderkloot.