This has been a heck of a week, long work hours deep into the night, sitting in our bedroom and staring at my monitors, listening to Spa music channel on Sirius. That about sums up my usual work week. Like most other people I had been looking forward to the weekend and deserved couple days off, but this week in particular I was really really needing it. Body and mind were just tired. The week got off to a rough start on very late Sunday night with a conference call (my employer has people globally), then an early morning Zoom meeting on Monday, both of which were a scheduling mistake of my own making. It went down hill from there for the remaining 5 days. I can relate when someone tells me they have Zoom fatigue. I can attest to it first hand.

When I looked at the weather forecast for this weekend I had a tremendous feeling of relief. Weather was going to be good, not only good, but photo-worthy, so I scheduled an impromptu visit into the woods for early Saturday morning. Took off when the fam was still asleep (though I overslept myself) and my heart almost skipped a beat when I saw dense fog outside and no sign of sun – what a perfect match for woodland photography.

Getting ready and into the woods took way longer than anticipated, so by the time I was able to hit the trail the sun was high enough above the horizon to start blasting the wonderful mist away. I unfortunately missed most of it.

I had no particular spot or a plan for today, so I just followed my intuition and drove to a remote parking spot and walked as if on autopilot. Wanting to explore some spots I had not been to before, or had not visited in many years, I headed to this small waist-high waterfall. It was loud, it was lively, it churned and churned. As in every spring, thawing snowfall provides ample supply of water for all creeks and rivers in the area. The sound and look of the flowing water was so hypnotizing I completely forgot to take pictures. I just stood there on the bank and watched the water flow by. After leaving the place I realized my mistake and rushed back to take a few snaps. What a trip to recharge my batteries! I drove home tired, yet rejuvenated. No people, no cars, no busy schedule, no deliverables, no social media. A total unplugging from the matrix.

I made a mental note that very soon I must visit this waterfall with a tripod and an ND filter and do some long exposure shots while the water runs in abundance.

A bad day on a hiking trail is still better than a good day at work.