Morning Glory

I'm taking a break from the Sierra shots for a while to post a more recent capture. It's a rare weekend when I end up on the trail by myself, but the family was booked a few weekends ago, so I headed out despite predictions of nasty weather. I got up to Russell lake after dark, with clouds so thick I couldn't see 10 feet up the trail. Everything was damp, and I had resigned myself to two days of heavy clouds and rain.

I woke at 3:30, planning to climb the park ridge. As I stumbled from the tent, I realized that with my headlamp on, I couldn't see anything. The fog/clouds were so thick that I couldn't even see my feet! Under the trees it sounded like it was raining. When I switched my light off, I couldn't see anything...pitch black. I found that I could see my feet if I held the light below my waist, so I decided to pick up my gear, pull out my compass, and have a go. I used my hiking pole as a feeler, and managed to work my way in the direction of the trail. I hadn't gone 500 feet, however, when I realized I was standing right next to another tent. I found out later that neither of the two gentlemen in the tent nor their irish setter heard me stumble by.

Two hours and 1.5 miles later, I arrived at the ridgetop in complete whiteout conditions. I waited for 15 minutes, laughed at myself saying, "Why exactly are you doing this, O'Neill?", and began heading back down the trail. Literally one minute later, chills went down my spine as the clouds suddenly cleared, and there, in the twilight, I could make out the hulking mass of Jefferson, defined right to the summit.

The peak stayed clear for only about an hour, but what an hour it was!

Thanks for your comments and suggestions.



5d2, multiple shots for exposure, depth of field and exposure, GND