“Telling the story of the Skagit River is more critical now than ever.  Being the most glacially influenced watershed in the continental United States, it has already seen drastic changes to its ice, water, and living organisms.  The rate of change is only slated to accelerate.  The need for progress inspired this book to try and achieve two ambitious, yet achievable missions:
Reveal how everything in the Skagit is connected.
Develop a more sustainable perspective towards wilderness, watershed, and ecological conservation, incorporating all stakeholders and celebrating complex relationships.
I approached this story by following the Skagit River from the glacial headwaters, all the way down to the delta and beyond.  Following the flow of the water helped me understand the interdependencies and relationships of the watershed.  This is the reason why the seven chapters of the book are organized in order of elevation, starting at the summits of the tallest peaks in the North Cascades, then cascading all the way down to sea level.  
The goal of taking this "follow the water" perspective was to understand the complex relationships in the watershed as the river might see it.  The river knows no allies or politics.  It simply carves its course to the Salish Sea.  In a region that has been torn by ecological, industrial, and political divide in recent decades, I felt that it was important to maintain an unbiased position when writing this book in order to bring people back to the table to discuss sustainable solutions to preserve this river for future generations.  That is not to say that the story of the Skagit is without its protagonists and antagonists, but rather that I let well-researched facts and historical evidence weave the fabric of this intricate tapestry.  
Taking on the challenge of writing this book myself (in addition to photographing it), was an ambitious one.  Yet, I felt it was important that whoever wrote the book also committed themselves to getting to know as many square inches of this watershed as possible.  It is difficult to tell a story of a river, whether it is through photography or writing, if you only know the water as it reaches civilization.  The story of the Skagit River begins far upstream from its first significant encounter with humans.  I spared no effort to immerse myself within the fields of ice, towering trees, and rushing waters that make the Skagit so special.  This project required technical mountain climbing, backpacking, kayak touring, and even underwater photography to capture the variety of photographs needed to reveal the full breadth and intricacies of the Skagit.”
- Christian Murillo