Blazing

16mm, f/14, 2seconds, ISO 64, polarizer+ND

Ugh, who wants to get up😴. The alarm rattles me just as I was finally getting some sleep after tossing and turning all night. You'd think the previous day's 7,000+ feet of elevation gain over 8+ miles of hiking would have tired me. I guess I had other things on my mind. But I digress... C'mon, James move. The 25° air cuts me like a knife as I unzip the sleeping bag. I grab my camera, open the tent and put on hiking boots that are frozen solid.

As I peek my head out, I see it—woah🤩—a glorious, blazing RED on the horizon. ”Kelly, hurry, we can't miss this!" I jolt up and out. Half dressed, half delirious, freezing and determined to get the shot. I run to the spot I scouted the night before, extend the tripod and fire off several frames to capture the huge dynamic range of the scene. 

We ran around like kids on Christmas morning for a solid 3-4 minutes that this amazing light lasted. "Red at night, hikers delight. Red in the morning, hikers warning." With a storm incoming⛈️, we scurried down the mountain🗻 in slick, icy conditions having experienced one of the best sunrises of my life.