Los Padres NF, Narrows, 2017

A backpacking friend of mine was preparing for a new adventure in the redwoods, so while I was holed up in San Jose for a while I began preparing what I knew I always needed, a redundant pack. A second backpack that I could pick up and immediate know that I could go the distance. I had been assembling gear piecemeal over a month and finally, being home, had a chance to test it out. So I decided to go to the narrows.

I had always, in theory, wanted these mountains to test me and judge me. And judge me they did. While trying to navigate around a treefall my foot slid out. Gravity took my pack, which of course I forgot to unbuckle, tumbling downwards a few hundred feet down the scree. At first I cursed, but after a minute I uttered thanks; the mountains hadn'thurt me badly, just giving me a gentle nudge, a reminder, that this is their home and I am but a visitor. But they comforted me a hundred feet down on the scree where, slowly, I crawled up and got back on the trail, returning home to the campsite. The mountains have judged me, they want me to return, but I certainly am not going to push their love today.

The Photographs

Picutres were from the a900 system with the 24-70 lens.

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