Wet, Wild and Wonderful
October 27th, 2010
I’m in West Virginia this week working with the wonderful and stunning model, Kat, who I met recently when I was in Florida. She is a very special person. I knew as soon as I met her that she was going to become one of my favorite models…and that first instinct was absolutely on the money.
So, I’ve been dragging her around to my favorite places in this beautiful state and she has been doing a great job of modeling, despite having to cope with wind and rain and cold…and being a Florida person who isn’t used to this sort of weather.
This photo was taken near Seneca Rocks. It’s actually somewhere close to the old Seneca Rocks campground. That was the most beautiful, perfect campground I ever camped in. There was a rocky stream flowing right beside it. Each campsite was surrounded by trees separating it from the other campers. I would fall asleep to the sounds of that stream rushing past. There are many fine memories of good times associated with that place. Of course the Forest Service decided to do away with it and built a new campground in a field on the side of a hill nearer to the rocks. It seems they have completely obliterated all signs of the old campground. At least I have not been able to find the location despite several attempts.
But this is near where it was. Kat is posing on rocks above that stream that filled my tent with such peaceful sounds back in those days. So, I guess this is close enough.
That was on our first day of shooting. The next day we went to Hills Creek Falls. To my dismay the trail to the lower falls was closed, so we hiked all the way down to the middle falls and were unable to go on to the best location to shoot. We did some good shots at the middle falls, though.
Then on the hike back up I was walking on a flat rock covered by leaves when I stepped into a hidden hole and twisted my ankle. I heard the crack sound as I went down. I layed there for a moment taking stock of the situation. Then I slipped my pack off and slowly stood up on the uninjured leg. It wasn’t as bad as the last time I did something like this when walking in a dry stream bed in California where several inches of dust hid a rock that caused a similar injury. That time I was forced to cancel several days of outdoor shoots because I really couldn’t walk.
It’s not that bad this time. The ankle is swolen and it hurts, but I can walk on it without much of a limp. So we continued with our hiking and shooting today and will do more tomorrow. I’m glad it was this minor. I would have hated to call off shoots here when it is going so well…and I don’t think Kat could have carried me up out of those waterfalls by herself.
There hasn’t been a lot of wildlife to see here at this time of year. Kat commented on the lack of insects…but it’s after the first frost, so they are pretty much gone…and that’s a good thing. But we have had some sightings. For example here’s a shot of a West Virginia Wildkat running for cover. You just never know what you are going to see out in these woods.
Leave a Reply