Blue hour in a volcano

One of the toughest-hikes-per-mile I’ve ever done was getting to the top (and into) the cindercone volcano at Lassen National Park. The entire winding path up the side of the cone is made of small, loose volcanic rocks that cause you to slide halfway backwards with every forward step. We were trying to crest it before sunset started, and when the mental math about our progress starting working against us, we had to book it to get anything before the sun went down.

Once at the top, I ran into a group of 3 guys who had the same idea…at first, we sort of shot next to each other, shooting the breeze about camera gear, and then took alternating paths around the rim. By time the last light was fading, the 3 of them grouped up on the rim, taking their last shots of the day, and I snagged this of them.

One of my favorite parts of photography is the motivation to get out in the world and do hard, sometimes uncomfortable things it has provided…and who we meet, the small experiences we have along the way, the fleeting conversations on top of mountains and volcanos…those make the hikes where every step is a half step back worth the work!