It’s a steep but relatively short walk up to this site in Clark County. Built 160 years ago, the earthworks fort is one of a series built by the Union on bluffs along the Kentucky River to defend against Confederate troops crossing natural fords. Little remains of the original fort, but a portion of the protective earth wall is still clearly visible.
Being up there by myself in the dark, I couldn’t help but wonder about the soldiers that manned this fort. I’m certain they thought about their families and hoped the war would soon end. Perhaps, as I did, they could hear cattle lowing from a distant farm. As they sat around a warming fire at night maybe they could see the reflections of wolf spider eyes, just as I could with my flashlight. Undoubtedly, they too looked up at the night sky and marveled at the sight.
As in other recent Milky Way photos I’ve taken, I arrived before sunset and took the foreground photo during the blue hour. Then I waited for the Milky Way core to become visible and photographed it, blending the photos together for the final image. I tried something a little different in this photo; some might notice it.
