“I Like Giants”
Nick Raya putting on boots by the stream
December 6, 2019
At the core of Kimya Dawson’s song “I Like Giants” is the idea that we are small in relation to the world around us. She sings about how its terrifying to be so small because its terrifying to be “so grounded and so humbled and so one with everything”.
Recently I went hiking on a Mount Baldy trail and spent a weekend in Big Bear. On the trips I took the time to really think about what Dawson’s song means and how it makes me feel. It was truly terrifying and comforting, but I am realizing that that is okay.
This is a photo essay of my time in Big Bear and Mount Baldy, changing my perspective on my size compared to “the grand scheme of things”.
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Jordan Hernandez on tire swing. I was shivering off to the side and happened to capture this photo.
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Photo taken in Big Bear on the drive back to the cabin after a day in the village
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The rope course that sent me crying. One of the guys who ran it had to retrieve me.
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Allison Millspaugh in her big puffy jacket as we waited outside to go back to the cabin.
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Water stream in Mt. Baldy that was very cold
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upward view of trees spotted at the end of our trails
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Olivia and I holding hands so I didn’t go tumbling off the side of the trail.
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Nick Raya looking out at view
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Olivia Nissen by streams edge
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Sneaky photo of Nick Raya as he debates existence
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The group running across the rocks on the trail