Tree with an opening in the bottom. The hiding place. Photograph by Christopher Crawford

hiding place tree in fall. The tree on the campus of IPFW in fort wayne has a large opening at the bottom that looks like a cave. Indiana University - Purdue University fort wayne

The Hiding Place

I first discovered this remarkable tree when I was a student at Indiana University Fort Wayne in the late 1990's. The tree was in a wooded area of the campus a short walk from the Fine Arts Building. I have returned there several times over the years to photograph.

In May, 2008 I found myself on the university campus again as I am preparing to take some classes toward a masters degree in the fall. I walked back to the Hiding Place tree and my heart broke when I saw that it had been cut down, and it's stump had been split in half to destroy the little cave it formed. I photographed as I found it, just after the sun passed below the horizon.

Here is all that remains of this magnificent tree:

A tree stump in a forest on the campus of Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne.

I have more photographs of the Hiding Place online. See the next photograph of the tree.

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Christopher Crawford
Fort Wayne, IN

chris@chriscrawfordphoto.com