Exploring strange places in the gloom of autumn
It was a foggy day in October and we were exploring. There were some abandoned places McCrae had noticed on some recent drives around the area that invited us out on a dreary weekend morning for an adventure. We first drove out to Chatham County to the Haw River, finding some small access point hidden off the highway - one of those gravel lots you might see and have some passing curiosity from the road as it flashes past your car window, but that you never actually stop and explore. It led down to a long wide dam next to the highway bridge over the river, all silt and rocks and rushing water and rusted cans and graffiti.
Annual playlist focuses on music that inspires movement
Four years ago on Labor Day weekend I went on a backpacking trip near Blood Mountain along the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. While the hiking trip and the company was great, that long agonizing drive down to Atlanta in awful Labor Day traffic sticks in my memory, and so for the past few years I've created playlists to kick off long road trips on Labor Day weekends. This year I pulled pieces that inspire movement. It's a playlist that I hope drives you to something new, whether it moves you to go on an adventure, or to make a change in your life, or to do something good in the world. Enjoy!
Even in a remote wilderness, the solar eclipse draws a crowd
Some photography requires just the right setup, just the right lighting, just the right variables, just the right whatever, but that's not how I operate in the backcountry. I just want to watch, to identify some small moment and capture it forever.
Two minutes and thirty-seven seconds is hardly enough time for that.
Because what's a photo shoot without some bloopers?
Ah yes, there's nothing like popping down to the local park and having a picnic and playing a bit of volleyball one day after work. I needed volleyball pics for the Wake County parks project, and my friends and co-workers had just finished up their recreational volleyball season with a respectable second place, so I grabbed a "Congratulations!" cookie cake, some others brought a bucket of fried chicken, and we had little fun at Lake Crabtree.
We came for the volleyball pics at the park. We stayed for the blooper reel. I took way too many photos, but all the outtakes are priceless. Enjoy!
10 Wake County parks. Lots of fun photos!
It's Friday, Fri-yay! Who's got a long weekend ahead for July 4th? I'm taking off Monday to do some exploring, and yes I'll have my camera with me!
I've talked a bit about the Wake County parks project, but here's the run-down:
10 parks in Wake County. New websites and brochures. Lots of photos by yours truly. Yep, you've got the picture, and here are a few of my favorites so far!
Trying Stand-Up Paddleboarding at Lake Crabtree and Harris Lake
I have been having a blast taking photos of Wake County parks! Most recently I met up with a group of stand-up paddleboarders at Lake Crabtree. The week before at Harris Lake I'd met Laura Prudhomme, the organizer of the Meetup "What SUP Triangle?" through a meetup with Life Is A Hike. Laura and her husband Mark own Earth Creature which rents SUP gear and organizes events like the SUP meetup at Harris and the meetup at Crabtree. I found them through a mutual friend and after I took photos at the Harris Lake event Laura invited me to take photos at a Lake Crabtree event and try out paddling for myself.
Local mountain biking group offers events for riders with wide variety of experience
I don't have a mountain bike. It's probably a good thing seeing as 1) I regularly wreck my road bike on straight, paved, and unobstructed trails; 2) I already don't have time for the bajillion activities I already do; and 3) they're expensive and do I really need another expensive hobby? But McCrae mountain bikes and I'm always jealous and slightly terrified of the bent wheels he brings home from rides or the insane Rampage videos he likes to show me to simultaneously make my skin crawl with fear and my eyes go wide with excitement. So recently when I got the chance to take photos of mountain biking at Lake Crabtree that anticipation and excitement welled up.
Q&A with Emily after her first time backpacking (our Max Patch adventure)
It's hiking season! I'm super excited about tackling another section of the Appalachian Trail this weekend with another friend and I'm still head over heels with the last trip with Emily. To celebrate I caught up with Emily and got her thoughts on her first backpacking trip and what she learned as a newbie.
