Hiking, eleven miles of it!
It was going to be a beautiful weekend, nice and cool. So we decided to head off to Dolly Sods in West Virginia. We really didn’t know much about camping there or hiking trails, but we knew both would be found there. And they were.
By the time we arrived we only had a few hours of day light, so we set up camp (popped the top on the Vanagon, made the bed, opened a bottle of wine, started a fire – we had collected wood on the drive up in the Wilderness Area). We had met a young couple earlier at a trail head, they were going to hike down the trial and camp in the wilderness (as most people do at Dolly Sods), well about an hour after we were settled they pulled up in the site next to us. It had gotten to dark for them to find their way safely and opted for the campground. We invited them over for a glass of wine (or two). It was a nice evening.
The next morning we woke up early and made breakfast, a big breakfast. Then we drove to the closest trail head to look at the map. We met a another couple who suggested we hike a different trail since it was our first visit. This alternative trail was suggested because of its beautiful views. Around 9am we started down the trail, the eleven mile trail. That is a LONG trail for us, we have never hiked that far. We did hike eight miles a few months ago, but… well, saying ‘a few months ago’ speaks for itself. Long story short, it was a wonderful hike. Here is a partial list of sights along the trail: blueberry bushes (as far as the eye can see in some places- really!), mountains (we went our over three and back over one- highest elevation around 3800, but we did start around 2400), open fields full of flowers, streams in the meadow, streams in the forest, rocks (the top of Dolly Sods was burned and what remains in some areas are rocks, and lots of them- huge boulders make the path), evergreens (I call them christmas trees- oh, and the fragrance!), springs (if you go, be prepared to walk through muddy water in some areas- there’s no way around it), people (not a lot of people, but we did pass several groups- always friendly), a lake, farm houses in the distance…. I will stop there. What was amazing was the diversity of the landscape, it kept surprising us.
Here are a few pictures from the day:
Share this:
snow’s still here
Yes, I said it… the snow is still here. We do have patches of earth poking through, but I think it will be a while before it melts away completely.
I took this picture when my husband and I were xc skiing. There was something about looking up into the trees that seemed so peaceful.
Share this:
Is it cold there too?
The days have been cold, the nights colder. -2 F was the lowest, at night. 7 F the highest, during the day. And yes, those temperatures keep us indoors, for the most part.
These pictures were taken on days when it wasn’t so cold. The top one is from Linn Run State Park in PA. I am guessing the high was 21 that day… it was also snowing. And it was also FUN! We kept warm with layers of smart wool, hats, gloves, lambs wool lined boots… we were prepared.
The lower image is from New Germany State Park after XC skiing. It’s a beautiful park, 40 minutes from our home. Lucky lucky us.
Share this:
FOG
To me, there is something magical about fog. It seems to soften the day. Not only visually, but everything seems quieter. When we lived in Texas, we had very little fog. Here, in Western Maryland, let’s just say it seems to be almost a daily occurrence. Sometimes the fog lasts only a few hours in the early morning and sometimes it lasts just about all day. Although I use the term ‘fog’, what occurs is more like very low-lying clouds.
Share this:
.Closed.
Closed. Well, that was last week. Today… OPEN.
Yes, this post could be one of those post that rants and raves about our most recent Governmental issue, but I imagine you have read, talked and heard enough. Although, I wonder sometimes if my age is the cause for my cynicism (an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest; skepticism) or is it the politician of today?
Cynicism… not a word I would EVER have thought could be used to describe me, I see myself as someone who generally thinks people are good, nice, loving…. and perhaps they are, but circumstances can create opportunity that shouldn’t always be taken.
As for the pictures, it was taken near Confluence, PA at Youghiogheny River Lake Park. Everything was bathed in fog during the early morning, so beautiful.
Share this:
On the road
After being gone for two weeks, I am finally posting something. I went for a drive the other day to take pictures, this is one I took out the front windshield while driving. Hopefully I will post some of the other pictures I took with my camera soon, as this one was taken with my iPhone.
Share this:
dandelion
Just yesterday I took a picture of a dandelion that was full, completely opened. I thought that was so pretty, then today I noticed this one. It had been misting all morning and the tiny droplets of water caught my eye.
Share this:
the ants come marching…
Todays post was going to be another ‘something new’ post. About nature again. About flowers again. Yesterday I noticed another type of unfamiliar flower bud. This morning the sun was just right, so I put on my micro lens and went to the backyard. I didn’t even notice the ants until I was looking through the lens. Bonus!
I do have one issue (ok, let’s say another) with macro photography, my eyesight. Does anyone else have this issue. I think the subject is in focus, and guess what- it’s not. I have started wearing my readers when I take a macro shot, not very convenient, but it works. Ok, since I’m being honest, another issue is that I can’t seem to stay still. Is it time to pull out the tripod for every shot I take? Ugh. Do most of you use a tripod for Macros? Any helpful tips?
The first picture, I just liked ;) The second is, well… the ant.
Share this:
DOF, trying to get a handle on it
If you follow my blog, you know I love a shallow DOF. Lately I have been practicing a bit more, trying to improve. I took these with a Micro (Nikon) lens, so I was very close. Being so close even an fstop of 11 creates a shallow DOF (something I tend to forget). More to come :)
f11 1/200
.
f3.3 1/1600
Share this:
intimidation… can be a good thing
First of all, how many social media sites can one person have? A WordPress site can connect with: FB, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, Pocket, Google+, Pinterest and Reddit. Not to mention you can create your own link if one of these does not strike your fancy. Where am I going with this? Well, when I create a new post, I also Tweet… simultaneously! Yes, I am talented. Not only do I Tweet, but when I Flickr (I really do :), I WordPress. I haven’t Google+’ed in awhile, I guess I will look into that. I have decided that just wasn’t enough! I have added Instagram to my sidebar, it’s a good place for my iphone images (since I really don’t post them here). And the latest addition is 500px. This is where intimidation comes in!
500px is yet another site to upload images, but… it’s a bit different. 500px, based in Canada, created a very clean site for photographers to show their work. This work I speak of is pretty amazing, actually I am a bit intimidated by the Popular photo gallery (when an image receives high ratings (from viewers) it goes to the Popular gallery). Yes, there are ‘regular’ (is that bad of me to say ‘regular’) photos there too, they are just not in the Popular gallery, which is the gallery that appears on the main page. I mentioned intimidation could be a good thing, typically I don’t think we feel this way. As photographers I think we get in a lull, well… maybe not just photographers, it can happen in life. I have blogged about this lull before, how I need something to get me moving sometimes after I feel… hmmmm, what is it, perhaps monotonous. This intimidation I feel for these beautiful images will (hopefully) push me to improve my skills. Did I just say SKILLS? It’s not really about the skills (for the most part) it’s about freeing myself, my imagination, my creativity… to foster expression & emotion in my photos.
If you have not viewed http://500px.com/popular yet, you might enjoy it.
After that long speech, what image should I upload? I think I will upload the image I have on my 500px site (another problem with the social media sites, will they all end up having the same images?). The picture below is one I took of my daughter last year.
Share this:
Cherry Blossoms
New place, new plants. This tree, which is in our yard, was full of little white blossoms for about two weeks, now it’s all green… still very pretty. Correct me if I’m wrong… but I believe this is a Cherry Blossom tree.
Share this:
the beauty of night lights
The beautiful night sky compelled me to set up my tripod a few nights ago. These are two of many (many, many…) shots I took that night. In the second shot, you can see the wind turbines’ red lights lining the hillside.
Share this:
Buzzing around.
As we sit on our back deck, these Bees hover nearby. They aren’t aggressive, just annoying. I wasn’t sure what type of Bees they were, so I looked it up (ahhhh, the internet :), they are Carpenter Bees. I found these buzzing around the neighbors Dogwood tree.
Share this:
something new… everyday
Nature is incredible… each day I see a new bud, flower, leaf, plant… it really is amazing how much there is to see. These buds appeared the other day, I have no idea what they are or what they will become, but it sure is fun watching them progress.
Share this:
Spring is here!
Blink and you will miss it! The beginning of Spring that is. One day the tree branches are bare, then you notice small buds and then… bam… the trees have leaves! It’s incredible, the different scents, colors, textures, shapes…. amazing.
I took the images below, of a Saucer-Cup Magnolia, on a bike ride in my neighborhood. There are so many beautiful trees right outside my front door. :)
Share this:
birds, birds and more birds
Birds, another reason I love living where we do. I have been watching this particular woodpecker work on this tree for weeks! I don’t think it’s just food he is retrieving, I think he is making a home. As I type this I can hear him chirping.
Look there is (a) Robin, my Mother said to me once at birthday party, and I replied by saying – where’s batman. No, unfortunately I was not making a joke! I was 4 or 5 years old, and evidently I watched a lot of the Batman cartoons- Kazam…
Share this:
Signs of Spring… finally
Mid-to-late March we would typically head to Austin, on our trip we would see the wildflowers blooming. Here, in Maryland, we are just now seeing the trees begin to show signs of Spring. But, the signs are incredible. There are so many different types of trees in our back yard, I am looking forward to watching them. Not sure what this tree is, but it’s the first to blossom.
Share this:
Our Groundhog…
More wild life. Not the best picture (through a window screen), but here is our Groundhog! I heard something rustling around outside the window, so naturally I look- I always look. And there he was poking his head out of his hole. It took him a while, but eventually he came out and ran over to our neighbors. I had expected a badger to come out of that hole, so needless to say, I was very pleased to see this little guy instead.
Share this:
Horse Show
Ok, we did live in Texas, so you would think we would have attended a horse show before… nope. That’s not to say I have not ridden a horse, in fact I love riding. My daughters an I took lessons, English Riding lessons, several years ago. Our neighbor (in Maryland) has a horse and participated in her first show a few weeks ago. We went along to witness it.
Share this:
What’s behind you?
Sometimes we are so focused on looking forward, we don’t see what we have missed behind us! This is true in life and certainly photography :) I was heading for a nursery (garden center) 15 miles West of town and on my return, heading East, I saw the wind turbines.
They go on and on and on….
kim hinds photography 