Kristy McMorlan Author / Photographer

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Kristy McMorlan Author / Photographer

The married couple has cultivated a shared passion for photography and discovered numerous ways to enrich their lives together.

Kristy authored her book titled: TREASURES in the Trash. All photos:©️Copyright 2006-2026 Kristy McMorlan-All Rights Reserved This married couple cherishes their quality time in nature, capturing its beauty through photography. My name is Kristy McMorlan, and I oversee the social media aspects of Kristy McMorlan Photography. I have also authored a book titled “TREASURES in the Trash,” which transcends the boundaries of a memoir. While my childhood was undoubtedly challenging, I found myself within a religious environment that mirrored its difficulties. Abuse, gaslighting, neglect, and mental health struggles are prevalent in any family situation, not solely within biological families.

09/09/2026

Long D**g Silver Spire, Utah, also known as the Blue Valley Spire, is a captivating, slender rock formation situated approximately 7 miles west of Hanksville, along Highway 24. We went during the daytime. Last photo. Then at sunrise. The first two photos. The full moon was a bonus. I loved it so much I wanted better lighting and we woke up early and hiked in the dark. It was already too hot in May to hike in the no shade the first hike out. And, there’s not a clear trail. It also was a little hard to find the place to pull off the main road. We met a father and daughter on a different road trying to find the turn off. No signs. I’m persistent and used two apps on my phone. I had to use one by tricking it to think I was hiking when we were actually driving. That way I knew it was out that way. I did the same when we were hiking. It’s out that way. Maybe others have a better way of finding places. That was part of my childhood experience to think outside the normal to accomplish a task. As children, we siblings were told to get it done but seldom were showed how. My parents were too preoccupied with their stuff. I found a similar situation in a former church. There wasn’t any tangible guidance. My book is coming along and it should be out soon.

09/08/2026

Zion National Park, Utah. Each visit we find new to us hikes. These were hikes we had done and wanted to share with our son. It had rained the night before (monsoon season started). Our short slot canyon was full of water. We waded part way in. But it got too deep. We tried going over top. It got too sketchy. It’s near the Canyon Overlook by the tunnel. Fifth photo. Don’t know the name. I can never remember the name. We also tried to find a different hike to a slot canyon in the same area but couldn’t find the trail. Forth photo. Too much water. Monsoon season and slot canyons are not a good mix. We tried. Ever done something great and you went back to do it again and it wasn’t as good? Sometimes we repeat situations that should never be repeated. My childhood was spent catering to my parents addictions and taking care of Mom after she spiraled with her mental health. We did this under Dad’s direction. I believe her mental health struggles were an environment downfall. Years later, I found myself in a similar feeling situation within context of a former church. Without any fault from ourselves we can be harmed. I have not and do not struggle with my mental health. The rumors were terrible. Frequently people who have hidden agendas, addictions, and undiagnosed mental health issues hide and hurdle. It’s good to investigate and learn what’s healthy and unhealthy in any kind of relationships. My personal account in book form will be published soon.

09/07/2026

The Belly of the Dragon, Utah. Did you stop scrolling? The Belly is a unique man-made drainage culvert. It has been transformed into a rippling, cave-like sandstone tunnel by water erosion. I had to use my tripod because of the low lighting. I also had to wait for people to get out of my shot. It was busy the day for stopped for photos. I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a tad tricky to get down to the tunnel underneath the road. The parking wasn’t a problem. The short walk was easy. Hopping down to walk inside was moderately challenging. It was one of those places that just to go and walk through was kinda boring. But, I have seen photos so I knew what to try and capture. I hope my book will be a useful tool for those who had a troublesome childhood and have found themselves in an adult community that ended up hurtful. False guidance through unhealthy leaders@ can feel normal but be unhealthy for us. I don’t and didn’t struggle with my mental health or addiction but I watched those that did. I watched / observed and saw the harm that can happen.

09/06/2026

Some other waterfalls found in Kanarra Canyon, Utah. The waterfall with the stairs next to it is the more famous waterfall. I posted that previously. I found the other lesser recognized waterfalls to more challenging to photograph and yet very cool. Pun intended. The water was nice on a hot day. I hope you’re enjoying your holiday weekend. We are at our daughter’s helping clean up the landscaping. Our cats travel with us. The newer cat is going to start packing himself whenever he hears our daughter’s name. There’s some spoiling going on. I’m also working through the second edit of my book. My eyewitness account of my parents addictions, lacking parenting skills, mom’s mental illness, and how those observations helped me identify unhealthy church leaders. Unfortunately they didn’t want anyone to identify the elephants in their living room.

09/03/2026

Kanarra Falls, Utah, is a breathtaking slot canyon and water hike. It’s nestled in Kanarraville, Utah, approximately 20 minutes south of Cedar City. You must obtain a permit prior to your hike. I saw a photo on social media and immediately had a desire to go. This was an action plan in progress for years. When our son whined he would have met us in Utah had he of known we were going to be there for nearly a month. We had explored the southeastern area of Utah on our way to the PNW, for family events. We decided to go home through the southwestern part of Utah and invite our son. Which meant I had my chance to hike this slot canyon and waterfalls. My husband got our advanced permits, which was tricky to know which day 6 weeks in advance. We hiked one day before the monsoon season started. The hike was everything I had hoped. It’s a 3.8 mile round trip hike. This hike is moderately to strenuously challenging, requiring you to walk through ankle-to-thigh-deep creek water, and scramble over boulders. I was mentally prepared for the hike. There’s one tricky spot a lot of people turn around at that was difficult for me. Our son went first. He pulled me up as my husband pushed from behind using my bottom. I’m mentioning my book in previous posts because soon it will be available through Amazon. In my book I am sharing my first-person account of people with addictions and mental health issues. I did not and do not struggle myself. I was the child of those who did. I was a parishioner of those who did and who had hidden secrets and agendas. I saw the patterns repeated. It didn’t end well for my mother who ended up being institutionalized. No one else in our family ever has struggled with talking to invisible people. Her downfall was environmental and I saw the waring signs in an ex-church. I choose to share in as an aid. People have had church hurts and parents who traumatized them I hope they will find my book and learn. I saw what can happen if things aren’t handled correctly.

09/02/2026

Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. Bryce Canyon National Park gets all the love but if you want to escape the heat in summer Cedar Breaks is a higher elevation. Cedar Breaks National Monument, perched at an elevation exceeding 10,000 feet, boasts a half-mile-deep, vibrantly colored geologic amphitheater. Cedar Breaks isn’t as big as Bryce. They both have hiking trails. Sadly, we didn’t find any trails to walk through. Bryce has a few trails that you walk through. While Bryce is good for sunrise. Cedar Breaks is great for sunset. They both have rim hikes. They both are in an area where there’s lots to explore. Comparisons can be good for vacations but not necessarily good for relationships. Like comparing our children or husbands. But comparisons can help a person understand. Understand why people react the way they do. Understand what needs healed. In my book, I compared my childhood experiences with my ex-church leadership actions. When I was healing from my traumatic childhood experiences I had to figure out why dormant recessed memories, which had hidden from me, were resurfacing. Why was I having nightmares. Why I was finding myself within familiar circumstances.

09/01/2026

Best viewed large. Lightening over Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. We saw more lightening than we captured. My son has the best photo of the night. He also had a much newer camera. I was quite smitten with Brian Head and Cedar Breaks NM. Also, the high elevation kept the summertime temperatures nice. Then the monsoons arrived. The first photo had horizontal lightning shooting off to the left. The second photo is easily seen lighting. Three and four was cloud to cloud lightening. The last photo I swung the camera to the sunset. The sun had been down awhile. My husband and I are retired and watch our expenses. Therefore we use older cameras. They work. I also am a one image photographer. All that technical stuff isn’t preferred. Old dogs struggle with new tricks in our case tests us. Sometimes people become stuck the older they become. Hate change. Dislike feeling questioned. They know how something works and it becomes frustrating when it has to be updated. Music changes. Technology updates. Now think about what that can do in a church environment. Throw in narcissistic and codependents people. It can become difficult. I examine what codependency and narcissistic tendencies are in my book.

08/31/2026

Our second visit to Brian Head was just as a thunderstorm was arriving and the sun was setting. The third photo is of Cedar Breaks NM from Brian Head. See the clouds with lightening had that pink tint. We love to storm watch, and a little later we drove to Cedar Breaks to watch the lightning and photograph it. This sunset was beautiful but a little difficult to capture its beauty. By the time the sun actually set it was engulfed in clouds. The 360 degree view was amazing and we loved sharing this with our son. I don’t know if we will ever have the chance to visit again? If not, these two experiences are enough for a lifetime. Have you ever had an experience of a lifetime. Good or bad they usually are short lived and impress upon our lives. Some change us. Most people want to share their experience, somehow. Whether they share in photos, speak, social media, etc. they share. It’s normal to want to share something that impacts our life. I’m no different. I share our photography and usually give you a backstory. My book is the same. Everyone has mental health. We all loose things /people/pets/jobs/relationships we love and go through grief. That grief encompasses depression which is a mental health struggle. It’s totally normal. Most understand grief. Some move through it fast some slow. Nature and being outside aids my mental health. I don’t struggle but my mother did and I think my dad did. Because of my childhood observations I observed grief and something similar to my childhood in an ex-church. It didn’t end well.

08/30/2026

Brian Head, Utah. We were 1,100 feet higher than the summit of Mt Hood, Oregon. We drove to the summit of Brian Head. Who knew Utah had such a place. I didn’t. We were trying to visit the Western side of Utah as we headed home. Home being North Georgia USA. We were ending our 3.5 month road trip. When traveling to Oregon we explored the Eastern side. There are dispersed camp sites near Brian Head. The third slide shows the road to where we parked our RV. My husband will tell you, “I just drive.” Which means I do my best to find places to visit. If I see something on Social Media that looks interesting I will look into it. I did not see this place on social media. This was a happy accident. My husband LOVES Bryce Canyon NP. We’ve been there multiple times. I was looking for something new. Cedar Breaks NM is similar to Bryce and is more on the Western side of Utah. That was the destination: Cedar Breaks. I saw wild camping on my phone app and like usual was directing my husband to the spot. It’s a steep incline!! I didn’t know that. My husband had to put the pickup in 4WD in 4 low to get up the hill. We creeped up the hill. It was that steep! I don’t think those other travel trailers traveled our way to get there. My husband has skills. We visited Brian Head twice. This was our first visit as we waited for our son to drive out from Oregon and meet us. We went back with him, a few days later. People have all kinds of goals and destinations. Some take more effort than others. The goal of my book is to normalize mental health struggles within religious communities. It’s a health issue. I wanted to tell my mother’s story. She had died 30-years earlier. In my perspective, as the child, she was the victim. Gossip should never thrive within religious communities.

08/29/2026

Washington State beaches. We lived in Oregon for over 6 decades. Oregon’s beaches are all public with reasonable access. Washington State had a few fabulous beaches but most are not easy access. They’re different coastlines. Unfortunately, the Pacific Northwest did its normal thing and we encountered mostly cloudy skies. I wanted to explore Washington State’s coastline because it might have been my last chance now that we live 2,500-miles away. We had to move to North Georgia USA to visit Washington State beaches. Beach combing is my husband’s favorite activity. He loves the beach! He loves the sea stacks and rocks. Me not so much because of the sand, wet, and usual chill factor. We have different preferences. That doesn’t make one right and the other wrong. We’re just different and respect each other for our differences. Different isn’t a bad thing. The guidance I received as a child, and in an ex-church, was conform, don’t rock the boat, hide failures, protect someone else’s character flaws. And, tell only half truths. Thankfully my husband and I are open, honest, transparent, and respectful. Steroid shot update: I know exactly where my shoulder is injured. Where the pain originates. I think I probably took my moto a little too far. When life gets tough get tougher, in the last five years after my accident. I did that most of our 3.5 month road trip. As we age it becomes harder to push through the pain. I think the same can be said about mental health. BTW I’m still waiting on test results for the other health concern.

Address

Dalton, GA
30705

Website

http://kristymcmorlan.com/

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