Return to Hawk Mountain
It was time to go back. I hadn’t been to Hawk Mountain for a photo-walk in awhile and I had a specific idea in mind. I wanted to create some images with the mountaintop enshrouded in fog and cloud. I kept checking the “cloud ceiling forecast” to see when the cloud conditions would line up with a day off from work - yes, there really is a cloud ceiling forecast website!
Finally, I had my chance… the website said the cloud ceiling would be 600 feet early one Saturday morning - until about 11am. Knowing that the Hawk Mountain trails top out at 1500 feet, I knew I would have the conditions I wanted - as long as I got there early enough. I arrived at 7:15 and had the place to myself for a couple hours of solitude.
It was quiet except for the constant dripping of water from the previous night’s rain. There was no sound of wind in the trees, no sound of people who would come later in the morning. For now, it was quiet, I was alone, and I could concentrate on the feeling I get from a morning on the mountain.
The twisted branch immediately caught my eye. I made fifteen different versions, but liked this one the best - with everything seeming to radiate outward from the center rocks. I never get tired of Hawk Mountain and seem to find something new almost every time I visit.