This was my first time out on a hike in quite some time and my first time venturing out to Snow Lake, so I have to admit I was a little nervous about the whole adventure. But, as they say, nothing ventured nothing gained, right? My buddy Jonny (who is more mountain goat than man when up in the mountains) and I started on the trail early, a good hour before sunrise. We wanted to capture some photos and video for a personal project we were working on and beat the crowds that would surely arrive on this last day of summer.
The trail is not a long one, but it's pretty rocky, so I had to concentrate a lot on my footing. This was no problem for my friend the mountain goat, who spent the whole hike looking over his shoulder making sure I was still there. We stopped multiple times to shoot some video and stills of the trail and the sun. The light was just starting to shine through the trees, making the mountain tops glow. It was so peaceful that we stopped repeatedly to take in the majestic views and watch the variations of greens and yellows of the trees start to come alive.
Just before sunrise made its way over the top of the mountain, we heard voices and around the corner came a group of people hiking pretty fast. Hellos were exchanged and there were smiles all round. The group passed us and their happy voices trailed off into the distance. How can you not be happy on a trail, even when it's stretching the limits of your stamina?
We continued on, starting and stopping so we could capture just the right images for our project. I have to admit, there were a couple of places where I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to the top of the ridge. Jonny informed me it was only another mile or mile and half to the top and reassured me that I'd have no problem making it. Easy for him to say; for me the way up was hard work. Between setting up and shooting footage while at the same time trying to navigate a sometimes steep and rocky climb, I was all business.
Not long after sunrise we broke through the clearing at the top of the trail and I saw Snow Lake and the surrounding mountains for the first time. The view took my breath away. The lake was so still, that the reflections of the mountains were pin-sharp. The blues so deep and the greens so vivid, you couldn't help but think about the forces of nature that long ago had been in play to produce this majestic view. The air was cool and crisp and there was not a sound to be heard. All my anxiety melted away and a great sense of peacefulness, mixed with a healthy dose of satisfaction that I actually made it to the top, came over me.
You can check out more of Sam's photography on his website.
