Adventue or Suicide?

This past weekend I worked with a few mountain biker friends trying to capture some killer images that really tell the story of riding in the Sierra foothills. 

While we got several really stunning images, it was the last jump of the day that really told the story.  It also helped remind all of us that there is a fine line between pushing the envelope and a trip to the ER.

Peter Grubb Hut

This past weekend we did a trip to the Peter Grubb hut with some friends.  For me it was a chance to really test out the Nikon 24-120 f/4 lens and see how I liked using it as my all in one adventure lens.

A couple of us were using the trip as a dry run for a longer Sierra ski/photo trip this spring, so I carried everything including my backpacker guitar.

In keeping with our typical style we didn't leave the trail head till about 4pm, and because we had a four year old on a sled along we didn't make it to the ridge until dark.  Which ended up working out well, because it meant that I had a chance to shoot a few hand held moon photos.

The first night we had the hut to ourselves and had a great time catching up with old friends and singing around the fire.  The next day I slept in because I was getting over a cold.  After a relaxing morning waiting for the the sun to soften the snow.  Four of us strapped on our climbing skins and hiked up one of the flanks of Castle Peak for some turns.  It was supper windy and icy on top, but we had classic spring skiing once we descended from the ridge.

After skiing and some full contact sledding I hiked out to wait for the sunset.  Which again worked out to be one of those times were I was very glad to have VR even on my tiny tripod to counteract the raging wind.  We ended the night with a couple glasses of wine and lots of guitar. 

All in all a great time recharging my personal batteries and doing some photo shoots with some great friends.