Raging Water at Bear Hole

A Window in the Storm:

This image was 5 years in the waiting! I had the spot picked out and I just could not line up the perfect day at the perfect time of year and my schedule. Here’s where a ton of preparation comes in. I shot this picture on many “almost” awesome days. Each time I evaluated and tweaked the composition. I became extremely familiar with the spot, and my vision of what I wanted. All I needed now was the smallest window of time on location and it would be mine!

Prior to this, there had been a couple days of interesting weather. On paper, the weather, time of day and my schedule were all aligned on this day. I woke up early, packed my truck and got a bunch of work done. The coming storm began to intensify in the afternoon so off I went. I had an hour before my next appointment. There is a road to Bear Hole, but on days like this there is no guarantee it will be open. I didn’t have enough time to hike in, get the shot and get out. I was beyond excited when I rounded the corner and saw it open!

This excitement immediately turned to moderate frustration when the car I was following turned off with me. I try not to judge how people enjoy the parks. However, following a freshly washed truck doing 8 miles an hour down this gravel road for 2 miles while my amazing sky slowly clouded over was excruciating. I felt like a small child on Christmas morning having to wait in his room, knowing all the presents are just out of reach. (Yes, 1st world problem!)

When this view presented itself, I literally shouted with joy! It was only going to take minutes to get this image, and that might be all I had. So here it is. Raging water, the park in vibrant Spring green, a mixture of cumulus and cirrus clouds breaking up the blue sky. Finally, at my wife’s request, the deciduous trees and bushes must be leafing out. If you look closely in the upper left side, you will see one of the last trees literally just started blooming. Close one!

Ever since seeing this boulder, I’ve wanted to get a person on it for a distinctive shot. The problem I had was featuring the rock. There was an incredible amount of vegetation, most of it poison oak surrounding the area. I wanted a clean, silhouette transitioning into an interesting sky. I just couldn’t work out how to deal with all the poison oak.

Flash forward to the summer of 2024. The park fire started literally right below this area. Like many people who love Bidwell Park I was saddened for the destruction of the special place. When we were finally allowed back in, I passed through this area on my first hike. Most of that morning was frustrating and more than a little sad. When I got to this area, I was reminded that the change fire brings can be a good thing.

For several months, I had known that one of my climbing friends was up for doing this. The problem at this point was lining up our schedules on a good day. Being ready when nature gives you a gift can be a recipe for frustration. Sometimes it takes a lot of failed trips, on days that all looked promising. In this case, we got it on the first one!

I’ve mentioned it many times before, but it is shocking how quickly you can feel removed from society once you start hiking in Upper Bidwell Park. This Boulder is only a mile in. During the several hours we were on site, we might have seen 2 people. This is yet another image which reminds me how important it is to both value, and experience this unique gift the Bidwell‘s left us.