I Took A Hike!
I never thought taking a hike would be such a momentous occasion, but it was! With the pandemic lockdown starting to ease, I decided to get out for a full day of hiking and photography. And what better place to go than Ricketts Glen of course. You may be tired of this place, but I'm not - spending a day there alone, among the trees, rocks and waterfalls is rejuvenating.
I usually plan a trip around my work schedule and the weather - I aim for a cloudy day during the week. Weekends are too full of people and sunny days are tough conditions for photographing waterfalls. So on a recent cloudy Monday, I packed my gear (and my mask) and made the trek.
For the first three hours I had the park nearly to myself. I lost sense of time and place as I concentrated on compositions among the roar of the water. There were no thoughts of Covid19, no thoughts of vacations missed, no thoughts about work or health - it was cleansing just to exist in the moment with no other concerns. Even a modest creek and waterfall can seem like Niagara when you are right next to it and you let your mind clear.
As I moved back onto the trail, I noticed a change. Since many people are not working regular schedules and the kids are not in school, the trail started getting "crowded" - at least crowded by my definition - which means more than just me in the entire park! After a while it was time to leave and rejoin reality.
But for six wonderful hours, everything was just fine with the world! :)