A cold morning on the ridge
October 11, 2026
We left the trailhead a little after five, headlamps on, frost still on the grass. The first hour is always the hardest: legs not yet awake, coffee still somewhere in the thermos.
By the time we reached the saddle the sun had cleared the eastern hills and the whole valley turned gold. I shot half a roll of Portra 400 in ten minutes and then made myself put the camera away and just look.
Notes for next time: bring thinner gloves for shooting, start fifteen minutes earlier, and pack more than two oranges.