On Wednesday I was bored. I asked my mother if we could go on a trip so I could take photos... I was picturing a drive through the country, back by dinner at the latest.
Well, that just doesn't happen in my family. We are la familia de impulsive. So what began as a drive ended up being a full-on camping trip, complete with a hike up a mountain. Keep in mind that my mom and I have not gone camping since I was six years old. I didn't even know we still had a tent! Oh, and we haven't gone hiking in a while either. All was had was one backpack and some sneakers. Oops!
The drive to the mountain/tent area was about two hours long, but broken up by a ravishing little farm stand, selling vegetables, jams, candles, and blueberry bread. Mmm!
We had to drive up a mountain to get to our desired mountainside campsite. And it was GORGEOUS.
My mom and I got there, pitched our tent, and slept (after having duct-taped our cooler against bears. Rawr). In the morning, we began our hike up one of the lovely Appalachian Mountains.
Within five minutes I'd seen a moose. A big, bull moose, at that. And of course I didn't have my camera out! Argh. Anyway, we followed Monsieur Moose and found a lovely blackberry and raspberry patch. And an adorable spotted frog (which I also failed to photograph). Thank you, Moose!
Pretty soon, I was wondering if we had missed a sign saying, "Welcome to Middle Earth", because it seemed like we had been plunged into a Lord of The Rings movie! Hello, Frodo.
Cameras cannot capture the sweat and aching muscles that climbed the rest of the mountain after the above waterfall. It was a 3-hour slog up a STEEP trail. With mud. But it was well worth it when we found this at the top!
Some Dark-Eyed Juncos living at 3,000 feet above sea level came and tried to steal our lunch. Cuteness!
Cairns (aka, rock stacks) pointed the way to the equally steep trail back down the mountain. Oooh, my poor knees and ankles and feet!
We made it back down without major injury and stopped to swim in a lovely lake on the way back. My skin and hair feels all soft now! (I am a seaside girl. I've lived on or next to the ocean pretty much my entire life. Ponds and other stagnant freshwater sources scare the living daylights out of me! This lake was the exception to the rule as far as my pond/lake/river/stream phobia goes.)
I am now safe and sound back home and catching up on email/blogs/Etsy. So... I must fly! Adieu!
(PS... some Etsy cuteness to make your day a little sunnier and funnier.)
sounds like you had a lovely time! stunning photos.
ReplyDeleteoh my.
ReplyDeletei <3 your photography.
what kind of camera do you use?
Morgs: for this shoot I used a Nikon D60 DLSR (body: around $200, I think) with a Nikkor 55-200mm VR telephoto lens (around $700).
ReplyDeleteWow, I'd love to go there! How beautiful everything is! It sounds a lot like my trip to Tennessee. Those Smokey Mountains were a pain to climb, but they were worth it!
ReplyDelete~*Brooke*~
Sounds like so much fun! I love your pictures! The fruit stand sounds sooo cute. Glad to hear that you're back!
ReplyDelete~SofieRose
These are gorgeous pictures! Looks like you had a lot of fun, even though your legs and knees were aching! ;)
ReplyDelete-Kaylee
thisiskaylee.blogspot.com
I agree - these are gorgeous photos but I don't know how I'd feel about an impromptu camping trip? I'm not much of a camper but I could be game if I could just take photos the whole time and then climb into a comfy bed. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a great time! Love the photos.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures!! :)
ReplyDeleteKyAnn
http://bloommagazine.webs.com
That sounds like an amazing time you had, Olive Tree! I think I may need to take a spontaneous trip to hike up in the mountains near where I live at...now that I've heard of your adventures....an adventure would be nice! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of camera do you have? I am getting ready to start looking into getting a better camera.....and your photos are amazing!
Blessings,
Sarah
http://www.daughteroftheking89.blogspot.com
Oh, and I was wondering, how did you make your watermark?
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, Olive Tree!! It sounds like you and your family had a blast. :o)
ReplyDelete-- Much Love,
Lindsay <3
Beautiful pictures, Olive! :D
ReplyDeleteThat does look a lot like Middle Earth! Great pictures! :)
ReplyDeletewow! amazing photography girl! Keep it up! We both are shocked with your camera talent! love love love :)
ReplyDeleteCheers, B & Liv
www.blivbook.blogspot.com
B L I V B O O K : darling&diva ♥
haha. the impulsive, spur of the moment trips are always the best :)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like so much fun. And the photos are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Hannah
photosbyhannahm.blogspot.com
I went hiking in Middle Earth once, too, but I didn't have a beastly camera to capture part of it with. It was so beautiful.
ReplyDelete~Margaret Rowena
Your family sounds really cool! Mine would never be that impulsive. And the pictures are great. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky! So so so lucky! I'm dying to be there right now...:(
Anyway, your photos are gorgeous, as usual! And I loved your guest post on Shilah.
my dear, your pictures are lovely! :) I would love to do that...I've been in the Middle East all summer, and it's desert, everywhere. I miss green!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos! What a fun, spontaneous trip! Love it! <3
ReplyDelete