CARRABASSETT VALLEY — The Carrabassett Valley Public Library and Community Center will present John and Cynthia Orcutt, authors of “Enduring Heights,” at a book discussion and signing at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22.

John and Cynthia Orcutt are fine art nature photographers and avid outdoor enthusiasts. Following a distinguished career as an architect and landscape architect team, they have pursued their interest in highlighting the need for active preservation of fragile places. Through their photographic images, they express the inherent beauty of areas endangered by public access and frequent visitation. Their work is a call for all to take a role in the stewardship of the natural heritage and to participate in ongoing conservation efforts in daily lives.

Their work has been exhibited widely and is in many public and private collections. John is a past member of the board of directors of Maine Huts & Trails and the Wolfe’s Neck Farm Foundation. Cynthia is a commissioner on the Maine Arts Commission, a member of the BikeMaine Steering Committee and a director of the High Peaks Cultural Coalition. She is a trustee emeritus of Waynflete School. They live in Kingfield and Portland.

Ten of Maine’s 14 highest peaks are clustered in the High Peaks of Maine. The region contains thousands of acres of remote, undeveloped wilderness. Forests extend uninterrupted, climbing mountain slopes, becoming twisted, gnarly and dwarfed in the sub-alpine zones. At the highest elevations, freezing temperatures, wind and water have simplified the treeless landscapes to expose rough, solid rock, barely covered in places with fragile, endangered plant species. It is challenging country to explore. Weather is unpredictable, and bushwhacking is difficult, due to fallen trees, dense understory and unexpected bogs.

John and Cynthia Orcutt have spent the better part of the last decade exploring Maine’s High Peaks, cameras in hand. Assembled for the first time, over 90 of their fine art photographs reveal the many moods of this stunning landscape; breathtakingly elegant yet rugged and remote. The collection is also a call to all to take note: Protection and conservation are essential for this wilderness area to remain as stunning as illustrated by the photographs in this book. 

John and Cynthia Orcutt, authors of “Enduring Heights.”