Maddog Murph
Before the Light
Some of the most interesting things occur when I might think nothing is happening at all. The predawn and twilight hours in the desert are often the best shooting moments, but at the time in the moment, it feels like I'm actually preparing for the pinnacle to come. What's ironic about that is that I'm sitting on top of the pinnacle and don't even know it.
This is a story of lack of sleep, coupled with an ambition to maximize a short period of time in a spectacularly beautiful place. This night we caught sunset, and shot Astro. We pulled into camp with 3 hours until the wake up call, and I planned to cowboy camp. On the way to the bathroom a scorpion and spider with 10 legs the size of my hand was discovered which ruled out cowboy camping. The spider I could deal with, but the scorpion was small, and I know those are the worst kind. Coupled with my experience on the Pacific Crest Trail I was almost positive this was a bark scorpion, which is the most venomous scorpion in north america. It's venom causes severe pain for up to 72 hours, temporary dysfunction in area stung, convulsion, loss of breath, and the sensation of electrical jolts... I think not.
My tent is ultralight and has no mosquito netting, and I had left my bivy at home, so the only option was to empty out the Jeep and sleep in the back. This was quite a chore, but it was useful because we needed to organize the chaos that was our transport anyway. We rolled out of camp, and hiked to our destination in darkness, hoping for some great sunrise lighting. The sunrise was mild at best, but arrived early enough to capture the faint blue glow of light reflecting off the rocks as the looming sunrise mixed with night.
Before the Light
Some of the most interesting things occur when I might think nothing is happening at all. The predawn and twilight hours in the desert are often the best shooting moments, but at the time in the moment, it feels like I'm actually preparing for the pinnacle to come. What's ironic about that is that I'm sitting on top of the pinnacle and don't even know it.
This is a story of lack of sleep, coupled with an ambition to maximize a short period of time in a spectacularly beautiful place. This night we caught sunset, and shot Astro. We pulled into camp with 3 hours until the wake up call, and I planned to cowboy camp. On the way to the bathroom a scorpion and spider with 10 legs the size of my hand was discovered which ruled out cowboy camping. The spider I could deal with, but the scorpion was small, and I know those are the worst kind. Coupled with my experience on the Pacific Crest Trail I was almost positive this was a bark scorpion, which is the most venomous scorpion in north america. It's venom causes severe pain for up to 72 hours, temporary dysfunction in area stung, convulsion, loss of breath, and the sensation of electrical jolts... I think not.
My tent is ultralight and has no mosquito netting, and I had left my bivy at home, so the only option was to empty out the Jeep and sleep in the back. This was quite a chore, but it was useful because we needed to organize the chaos that was our transport anyway. We rolled out of camp, and hiked to our destination in darkness, hoping for some great sunrise lighting. The sunrise was mild at best, but arrived early enough to capture the faint blue glow of light reflecting off the rocks as the looming sunrise mixed with night.