Performance by Sandra McCracken & Lori Chaffer »

The Box Canyon is cold in January. By early afternoon, when we hiked in, icicles were still holding strong along the canyon walls and many of the puddles in the creek bed were frozen. We didn’t even know if Sandra and Lori would be able to play their guitars with such cold fingers.

But right about the time Sandra set her guitar case down, the sun started breaking out. Perhaps inspired by that, she suggested trying a new song. In the span of two or three minutes, while final camera adjustments were being made, Sandra taught the gist of the song to Lori. Then we were rolling:

“My feet are strong
My eyes are clear
I cannot see the way from here.
But on we go…”

It felt like a moment of discovery – that type of elusive episode that can’t quite be planned for; one that evades prescription. Sometimes you have to start along the way before the shadows begin to flee.