Mountain Morning

In a world full of noise, is there anything better than waking up before everyone else and hitting the trail under the stars on a crisp fall morning?  I don’t think so!

Unfortunately, I went to an extremely popular trailhead with quite a few others.  But, even so, they were people seeking that quiet also.   Can’t have it all, I guess.

Surprisingly, both spots I had in mind for sunrise photos were people free and all mine.  I backtracked to the first spot as that’s where the clouds were hanging out over the mountain.

I set up my tripod and camera and started to look for the composition I wanted.  I had a nice big rock to play with in the foreground, the wind was blowing just enough for a good long exposure, and the cloud above the mountains would give great color in the sky and reflection in the water.

This was looking good and I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up!  But, Mother Nature!

Just as it was starting to get lighter, the wind picked up.  You guessed it, the clouds started blowing away.  Getting further and further from the mountain I had framed.

By the time the sun got to where I wanted it, the cloud was 90 degrees from where it started.  And the reflection in the water was beautiful….almost like she was rubbing it in.  But above my mountain, nothing, a plain, boring, sky.

I tried to make something out of nothing, but it didn’t really work, so threw my hands up in defeat and moved on.  

I went to a few of my usual spots where I’m chasing “the” perfect photo.  I came close, but didn’t get exactly what I’m looking for.

I didn’t get “the” shot I wanted and I dropped my phone on a rock shattering the screen, but I still ended the day with a smile on my face.  Sometimes, it’s about more than coming home with a wall hanging photo.  I think I needed this time out on the snowy trails more than I realized!