The wind was the main challenge for photography.

And it got stronger the higher I climbed.  Judging from the exclusively east-growing branches on the tree in the video below, I think these winds are the norm.

The sun arrives ...

One of my favorite places on Dog Mountain is immediately after a particularly steep section of trail.  Winded hikers follow a sharp right turn out of the woods, look up and find they have suddenly emerged into an amazing scene.  I was standing just beyond this point, struggling to take photos in the strong wind.  I was in the right place to hear the stunned reactions of five or six groups of hikers. 

This group had just finished various exclamations of awe and had begun hiking again.

If you look at the upper right corner of this photo, you'll notice the hills disappearing into the clouds.  This is where I was headed next.  After a switchback or two, I was up on a ridge, where the wind was even stronger and the clouds zipped by. 

There was still more climbing to do.

As a side note:  If you place a camera bag on a steep slope in these conditions, be aware that the wind can give it the push necessary for it to begin rolling down the hill.  It will keep rolling until it reaches something that stops it, which may be quite some distance.  In some places there is simply nothing to stop the bag and it will roll out of sight. In one particular place, there are trees that will stop your bag approximately 200-300 feet below the trail. If your bag contains your collection of lenses, miscellaneous equipment and food/water for the day, it is likely you will decide you want to retrieve it.  It will take quite a while to stumble and slide down the hillside to reach the bag and then scramble back up to the trail.  And there will be ticks.  Also, there is a chance that when you return home and look at the photograph you were carefully composing at the time the bag began its voyage, you will realize that it is not the best photograph ever taken.  In fact, it may not even be in focus. 

Moving on ...

After climbing through the fog to the summit, I sat and ate my lunch, entertained by a crow playing in the strong winds.  Then something unexpected happened:  The fog disappeared.

The sun came out and I spent a couple hours photographing the summit meadows.  I even found a few areas relatively sheltered from the still-howling wind where it was possible to make close-up photos of the flowers.

I have many photos from the hike to sort through and edit.  I'll be posting more here soon!

In the meantime, don't forget to support your favorite open space and then head over to ThisOpenSpace and pick up a print.  And here's an idea: Father's day will be here before you know it.  You could make a donation in his name and then order a framed print or gallery wrap that will be ready to hang on the wall when it arrives.  Learn more here or contact me if you have questions.

This path leads toward a tunnel through the trees.  What will be on the other side?

A forest!

Photo by Miles

Wilderness:

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."
— John Muir

More wilderness quotes at The Wilderness Society, of course.

Importance of various forms of nature for children:

"For children, nature comes in many forms. A newborn calf; a pet that lives and dies; a worn path through the woods; a fort nested in stinging nettles; a damp, mysterious edge of a vacant lot—whatever shape nature takes, it offers each child an older, larger world separate from parents. Unlike television, nature does not steal time; it amplifies it. Nature offers healing for a child living in a destructive family or neighborhood. It serves as a blank slate upon which a child draws and reinterprets the culture's fantasies. Nature inspires creativity in a child by demanding visualization and the full use of the senses. Given a chance, a child will bring the confusion of the world to the woods, wash it in the creek, turn it over to see what lives on the unseen side of that confusion. Nature can frighten a child, too, and this fright serves a purpose. In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy: a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace." — Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods