I posted a shot of some Purgee Brook cascades in Quabbin a short while back. A Facebook friend offered to show me another feature farther downstream which he did yesterday.
Fortunately for me, I am now undertaking these hikes with a reduced kit in a smaller backpack. That made it much easier. I have to admire Pan’s energy and limber fitness. He’s a few years older than I, but hops across rocks and climbs ledges like he is much younger, which in reality I guess he is. Much of age is in our heads anyway. We had a great time hiking and talking and I consider him a valued new friend. Much of what happens in social media is of little value, but there are times when we really do make friends, learn new ways of thinking and gather knowledge that we might not otherwise.
Pan offered to wade in and remove the fallen branch for me, but I like it there. Not only does it add color, but speaks of the life of the brook, with various comings and goings of forest debris.
And, for your listening pleasure, I made a video of the waterfall.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
I’m glad you left it all as is. It is natural.
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That was my feeling too. But had it been removed it would still look natural.
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Again, I like the audio addition.
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I think I’d have been tempted to remove that branch.
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I gave it some thought as mentioned. But decided that it added something and removed a bit of the sanitaization that most of us try to accomplish with nature photography. Sort of my waterfall version of “When animals attack”.
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Do you have an estimate of the prior and current weight of your kit?
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I weighed myself with the full kitted backpack once and it was a bit under 40 lbs plus the tripod (7 lbs, I think). I haven’t done the same yet with the reduced kit, but it is a least down to 20 lbs and possibly less depending on which lenses I load. The camera (5D Mark II) is constant as is the tripod, but which macro lens or which wide angle zoom goes in varies.
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Even your 20 lbs. is more than what I carry. More power to you for having borne so much more before.
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Although 20 or 40 sounds like a lot, and I agree that it is, what bothers me the most is that at one time, long, long ago, in a time almost out of mind, such a load was nothing and I could hike and shoot all day with just a few beads of sweat.
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Tempus fugit and Sic transit gloria mundi are two Latin adages that come to mind. And if I can switch to French, there’s Si jeunesse savait, si vieillesse pouvait.
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Yes, I wonder what your response to Steve’s question (above) will be. I often complain (to myself) that I’m carrying too much stuff. Just today, Joanna purchased me another (much needed) accessory … we went to Jo Ann’s Fabrics and she purchased a yard of Faux-Leather-Type-Stuff that I can now use as a drop cloth when out in the field. Many of my recent forays have left me wet on the behind and dirty from head-to-toe.
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I had to do something. I just added the 16-35 Mark II and had nowhere to put it. So even if I carry the big bag, there are still choices to be made. I suppose carrying the full load is good exercise, but even with the reduced bag my pulse was up in the 110-120 range while climbing out of the Quabbin hike.
My bags both have tripod pockets with straps to secure. Instead I keep a rolled up carpet sample to kneel on in wet conditions. Most of the time it keeps me dry. But now that I have the 15mm macro and have to lie down to compose, it isn’t very helpful. I don’t think that I will use anything larger though as I don’t wish to damage the other plants and am fairly careful about what I lie down on. I just wear the same bug-treated outfit so limit my dirty clothing. I launder them after each three day weekend to keep the stench to a minimum. 🙂
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Beautiful waterfall and the rushing and falling water is very noisy. I like the noise a lot. It’s great that you have a new found friend to accompany you. Hopefully he’s be ging along often. I worry about you being out alone. Not a good idea at all.
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I like the sound of moving water a lot too, Yvonne. One reason why I like to photograph it so much. Drowns out the rest of the world for a few moments.
We won’t be hiking regularly, I am sure. But once in a while will be nice. I am meeting up with someone else in a short time who is going to show me her favorite spot for white lady’s slippers to be shot in the future. I don’t mind, and prefer, shooting alone. Ordinarily I find company a distraction and also pressured to not take as much time as I choose. I always have my phone, but probably should invest in “SPOT” just in case.
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Yep, get “SPOT” and now I’ll need to look that up.:-)
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I like it with the branch too, as you say it adds the colour. The video sound is a great idea.
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Thanks. It does make a nice addition to have the sound with the photograph.
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Beautiful image and a beautiful scene. I would have taken out the branch, but that’s my habit.
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Next time I probably will move it, Tom. Unless the waters do that for me if I don’t get there before the next gully-washer.
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I love the branch, and I’m so glad you didn’t take it out. It seems both familiar and mysterious, raising every sort of question: who used the walking stick? where have they gone? was there an accident? did the person see something which required both hands to climb, and so left the stick behind? I think the invisible human presence adds a good bit to the photo. Did I mention that I like it?
The gear discussion’s interesting. Of course, mine is minimal: one camera, two lenses. I just put the lens I expect to be using most on the camera, and keep the other in a small bag that also carries batteries, cards, etc. Right now, my biggest problem isn’t weight, but learning to walk in the boots I got. They’re terrific, but I walk differently in them. That probably will change, or I’ll get accustomed to them, but right now I’m clearly using different muscles, and just walking requires a little more thought than usual. On the other hand, it’s great to be able to slosh around in all the water we have now without worrying about it.
By the way, I ordered some of that anti-critter stuff you recommended. It will be here tomorrow — and none too soon. The flooding is going to lead to a world-class mosquito population. it will be interesting to see how it works. I’ll probably have to try it out locally, though. The Brazos river flooding is going to make some of my favorite spots inaccessible for a while. We have flowing water, too. See?
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It’s interesting that you mention a walking stick as that is what I thought of when I saw it at first. We are only seeing about half it’s length though so only a giant could have used it. Thanks, I am glad that you like it.
It has taken me a while to get comfortable in my Muck boots. I use orthotics to correct my foot positioning but not in the Mucks. It took a while to figure out how to wear them without creating problems for my plantar fasciitis. Don’t you hate it when you have to think about how you walk? There’s so much else to attract your attention that you don’t want to miss. As far as gear goes, I am finding it liberating to carry less which enables me to walk more comfortably and for longer hikes. It does require anticipation for what may present itself, but locally that’s not a problem. When I travel it may not work out quite as well.
Just a friendly reminder…the stuff is not for your skin. Deet or natural oils will still be required for that. I use a combination that is mostly citronella, but I don’t know how useful that will be on those Texas-sized mosquitoes. Still, the permethrin will keep them from drilling through your clothing. That is a lot of water and it appears to be carrying a lot of the local soil along with it. I imagine that those places will be a little altered when you do get to visit them again.
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