Clearing Storms & Waterfalls Left Behind

Chasing a Rare Waterfall: Spring Storm Light on the Annie B Trail

The window for getting this image is really small.  This waterfall only rages like this for a few days after a big storm.  As a result, it was half on my radar.  I didn’t want to get my hopes up.  There are only a handful of days a year to get it.  Mathematically, it was going to be a long time before those few days also had the right conditions and I could go.

Emily and I had hiked out to this area several times in the months prior.  Our work schedules were open on this day and she suggested we give it a shot.  My vision for this was pretty clear.  Late afternoon with a breaking storm in the sky right after a big rain.  That was this day!  Her only request was getting back before dark.  No hiking out with headlamps.

It was going to be close. My vision included the sun low on the horizon. In early Spring, there aren’t a lot of daylight hours after this.   As we got close it became clear I had roughly 15 minutes.  I used all of it, and maybe a few more with the promise of a quicker pace out.   Nothing like a little excitement from seeing an amazing view to speed us up!  And yes, we made it back right before dark.