So, I just posted the wedding photos I took in Yosemite... now it's time to post a few of the few photos that I took for myself :)
Not wanting to go home without exploring Yosemite at least a little, Amanda (my friend/2nd shooter) and I decided to squeeze in a short hike to a nearby waterfall before we checked out of our hotel. The concierge gave us a (super crappy) map and off we went. It wasn't until we got out of the car after a 20 minute drive up a windy dirt road that we heard the thunder. And saw the lightning. But hey, we're gangster, so we decide to brave the weather and go anyway... with our cameras, of course. After all, the waterfall was only half a mile away.
It was absolutely amazing to be alone in the middle of a gloomy forrest surrounded by thunder. It was pretty difficult to refrain from taking a million photos while we walked along the trail to the waterfall. I've always been inclined to shoot nature with my macro lens so since we were in a pretty big hurry to beat the rain, I mostly stuck with that.
The crazy vague map told us the trail started behind the abandoned cabin... how awesome is that?!
As soon as we reached the waterfall and got a few photos it started POURING on us! We tucked our cameras under our shirts and started running back... until realized how freakin' AWESOME hiking in the rain was! We slowed to a walk. At one point Amanda, who was ahead of me, turned around and exclaimed, "I'm grinning like a damn fool!" And I found that I was too :) All the greenery around us was insanely bright and gorgeous, the rain was warm and refreshing, and the sound of the raindrops was so calming.
Afterwards my mom gave me a lovely lecture about how dangerous it is to hike in a thunderstorm, but I have to say that it was easily one of my most amazing experiences. Our cameras ended up being fine (they're insured anyway), and we had just enough time to put dry clothes on before we had to check out of our hotel. I wish we'd had more time to hike and explore, but I'm glad what we did experience was nothing short of amazing.
Here's one of the only 'good' photos I got of the waterfall... not the best, but oh well. Photography is about the memories anyway, right?
And, just because I LOVE them, here's a photo of the windmills we saw on the way home. Aren't they pretty?
Happy Monday!
"We're ganster" - that cracked me up!!! Gorgeous pics!
(08.15.11 @ 04:17 PM)This sounds AMAZING!!!! I kinda wish I was right there hiking it up in the rain with you two! :)
(08.15.11 @ 11:17 PM)