Everyone has their own way of treating themselves. For the last handful of days, I've had a lot going on in my head. First and foremost, I can't believe it's the mid-February already. This year is flying by, and I feel as though I was celebrating new years yesterday. Work, photo work, house work, and everything else is stacking up. Every once in a while, I hit this point where I need to do something to shake my soul, more so than normal. That typically involves doing something like jumping out of a plane, or something I haven't done, that I know will put me back in my place.
I woke up yesterday, somewhat indecisive. I made the split second decision to go somewhere other than my initially planned destination. I wanted to hike to places that I hadn't been to yet, I wanted to test myself, rather, rattle myself, if you will. There's something about going out into the woods alone, to a new place that is exciting, and somewhat nerve wracking at the same time. All of those "What if" scenarios run through your head, and you simply have to put all of that aside, and enjoy the experience. The "what if" scenarios are just that, don't forget to take things as they come.
The starting point of the hike along the creek bed
It was September of 2017 when I first visited this State park, and I've explored different parts of it since. I set my sights on visiting two falls from a different perspective yesterday. I started at a familiar point, and hiked into unknown territory from there. As you work your way into the gorge, your phone loses service. It's a good excuse to throw it in Airplane mode, and enjoy the scenery. What I enjoy most about going on a solo hike, is the fact I can go where I want, and stop to shoot whenever I want to. Not that I can't do that when I go with others, but it's nice to be able to let my eye stop and go as it pleases. I don't have to set a certain pace, I don't have to be a burden to anyone else, I just do whatever my heart and imagination inspire me to. I took in a lot of sights and sounds along the way, which I will share as we progress through the hike. The water level had fallen enough over the last couple of weeks to the point of being able to cross the creek using rocks others have strategically placed over time, without having to walk directly in the water. Of course, I managed to slip and go in a few times during the hike as well.
As the hike progressed, there is a split where two different creeks meet. To the left, was where I planned to go, and to the right, is where I had been in the past, and ended up going again later in the day. The creek bed is the trail itself, at a certain point, you don't get much help from the land along the creek, because its a pretty steep incline up the sides of the gorge. In some areas, it opens up, and you can walk along the creek, get on boulders in the middle of it, and enjoy the scenery along the way. I had nearly moved on when I noticed a smaller boulder in the middle of the creek, where I could setup my camera and tripod to get a few photos in before continuing (top photo). I did a lot of packing and unpacking of the camera throughout the trip, for the sake of keeping my gear, and myself relatively safe. In a lot of spots, you have to shimmy along, hold on tight, and use whatever is available to get to the next dry section. I used the tree (second photo) to hold on while shimmying around some rocks, then came across this fungi growing up the small tree branch.
I made it to the second fork, no matter which direction you head, you'll end up at a waterfall. I could see one of the falls from the fork, so naturally, I decided to go that way first. Little did I know the challenge that would lie ahead. It's Mid-February, the rocks are wet, and icy in some areas. You have to be confident with your steps, and jumping from dry stone to stone. In a lot of cases, those spots weren't so dry, and quite slick. As I got closer, I could hear the fall, then I saw a janky setup that was the "official trail". I went up it, in the end though, I broke the rules and went around. I tried to clear the air by picking up some trash along the way. I figured that was a good compromise, right?! One of two things were obvious, this winter did some damage to the earth this deck was sitting on, or it hadn't had maintenance in a long time. I'd like to believe that it was more the first.
On to the first fall of the day, finally made it. I could sit back and take in the view for a couple of minutes. I got to the bottom of the fall, started setting up my camera, then heard a crash. I was aware of my surroundings almost immediately after hearing that. Rock was falling, as was ice. This threw a wrench in my plans to get the shot that I really wanted, as I wanted to make sure I kept myself out of harms way as much as possible. I broke the rules to stay safe, and I was out in the woods alone. Side note: Go out and hike on unfavorable days. I was the only person in the place right up until the last fall of the day. Gray days aren't so bad after all, it's all a matter of perspective. I took a few photos, picked up some trash that others had left, packed up my gear, and made my way back toward the fork. I always find it interesting to work your way back out of a place that you came into. In the case of this hike, it was far easier to get in, than it was to get out. A lot of the rocks were sitting just right to give you that leverage and confidence to make the next step going in. Coming out of this area was a different story. I found myself going far out of my way to find a safe route out. The puzzle is always fun to piece together.
I got back to the fork, and started working my way up the other side to the second fall. To my surprise, there was a second fall up this fork, and it was flowing pretty well. I made sure I stuck to the plan, so I went to the second fall that I intended to see first, then would work my way back to the third fall. Making my way up to the second fall left me with a lot of "oh shit" moments. I slid off of a few rocks, ending in shin-deep cold water, and wet feet. I set my camera up on the tripod in the water, and leaning against some rocks to get the shot to the left. Water was flowing over the rocks, and I adjusted the tripod to leave my camera just above the flowing water. The whole time, another one of those "what ifs" were going through my head. Don't make any sudden movements, and whatever you do, don't slip Finni! If you do that, your rig is going down with you, and that's a wrap. Luckily, I didn't slip while shooting, and safely packed up my bag to move to another vantage point, which you'll see at the end of this post, along with some others. This fall has a lot of manmade rails, and wood paths around the top. it was difficult to get a decent shot without rails and such in the frame. I'm a very "play it as it lies" kind of photographer. I don't like moving stuff around within the frame, I'll just deal with it, or move myself to get the perspective I'm hoping for. In some situations, that's easier said than done, but also part of the fun.
I packed my gear, and made my way to this uncharted third fall. This fall was further up the side of the gorge. There was no clearly marked path, and it didn't seem there were any tracks going up to it either. Judging by the lack of trail, or traffic up, I thought this was just a fluke fall, caused by overflow from elsewhere, but I was wrong. After several moss-covered, slick rock scrambles, I made it toward the top. I took a few spills along the way, and sweared at myself for the need to get close, rather than take the shot from the bottom, but this too, was an unexpected adventure of its own. When I got up to the fall, I realized that this one seems to flow regularly, it was apparent, by how the rock was carved out as a result of the water spilling down onto it. The ice build up was cool to see up close and personal as well. I got lucky enough to get right up to this one, and shot this photo from about 5 feet away from it. A good 10mm lens is always nice to have in a situation like this. Fisheye lenses are cool, but it's nice get a clean shot without the bowled out effect. I always wanted a fisheye lens early on, then had difficulty placing a time where I'd actually use it to its full potential.
The hike back down from this fall proved to be just as tricky as the others. You'd think that I would have figured that out by the third fall, but being the curious child that I am, continued to make the same call, time and time again. The rocks were too slick to go down forward, or backward, so I found myself making my own switch backs to get down to the main creek again. There were several instances where I had to cross the creek using a downed tree. Imagine walking a balance beam, covered in ice, with a backpack full of camera gear on your back, and a creek below you, that's where I was. I got back down below the fork, and to the main creek. I took a brief pause to catch my breath, and have a drink of water. While I was chilling out, I noticed that a rapid was acting kind of strange. I walked over to get a better look, and noticed that it was one of the park signs, flipped over, and pinned on the rocks, creating a diversion in the flow of water. What made this entertaining was the fact that the sign said "No one beyond this point". Oops. I just spent the last couple of hours way beyond that point, Sorry... I hope that sign flowed down from where I had broken the rules the first time, not that I'd feel to terribly if I broke the rules more than once I suppose, I did pick up trash.
I continued back toward the first fork, and paid more attention to the time. I left my dog home, and he was going to want to eat, and go out by the time I got there, decisions, decisions. It seemed as though the hike was mostly the same going back down the main creek as it was coming out. There were only a couple of instances where I noticed a different route from what I had initially taken. I came to the main fork, and looked up the creek where I had been on my first visit to this park. I must have looked up there, and down at my phone three or four times before saying "screw it". The first challenge was finding a decent crossing to get up to that fork. After slipping and going in twice, I just walked through. I walked right up against the side, where some erosion occurred since I had gone this way last, making it a little easier to get into this part of the creek. After I got in, everything else had seemingly changed. Several trees had fallen, and a lot of land slid down toward the creek bed. There were also some boulders that had shifted since scrambling up this creek in September. There were a few parts that I recollected relatively well, but overall, it had changed significantly, keeping this little adventure fresh. The last fall has a path above at the rim, where folks can stop and look down on the fall. When I reached the base of the fall, it was the first time I saw anyone else in the park all day. I had the place to myself all day to this point, but I was glad to see others take advantage of it. I had been to the base of this fall before, but I wasn't terribly excited with the photo I took last time I was there. It was a bluebird, sunny day, so the exposure was really blown out. This time, on the other hand, was a very overcast day, with periods of rain mixed in. I didn't have a good place to set up my camera without having to lay down across a bunch or rocks. Sometimes, you just have to roll with it if you want to get the shot you're aiming for. I took a handful of exposures, and relaxed to take in the scene before packing up for last time, and headed back to the car. I made my way back down to the fork, and back toward the path that would take me to my car. I started to rush, and made some clumsy mistakes along the way. I finally told myself to slow down, and enjoy this part as well, as it is part of the hike, and the experience.
I started to reflect on the day as I made my way back up the trail from the creek. I took a deep breath, and allowed myself to breathe, take my time, slow down, shoot photos, be present in the moment, and reconnect myself with the world. Some of those moments were more exciting, maybe even frightening than others, but it's exactly what I needed. I had the opportunity to straighten up my thoughts, and put my ducks in a row. I learned a few things about myself, and pushed myself a little bit with what I'm cool with doing without company. Though exhausted, I felt mentally rested, and relaxed, it doesn't get much better than that. I hope that everyone has that type of release, as it's important to have one of those to keep balanced. Life is crazy, and it can be difficult at times to make sense of the every day grind. Below are some of the other shots I took along the way, click to enlarge them. Feel free to tell me what you think. I've been out of the loop with these posts for quite a while, and I'm working to get myself back in the groove this year. Thanks for taking the time to visit!
