The Story Behind: Aloha After the Storm

I took this photo of Lake Aloha on my third backpacking trip ever, and it was my first time going for multiple nights. The first day went smooth with no issues, but on the second day, storm clouds started rolling in and it was making me nervous. One of my favorite photos I have ever taken, almost didn't happen.

I spent the whole day following a creek that led me to multiple lakes, the last one being Lake Aloha. When I got to the one right before Aloha (American Lake), it started to sprinkle, which made me a little nervous. I thought it would just be that (a light sprinkle), so I didn't think too much of it yet and carried on. Once I got to Aloha though, the wind started to pick up a lot, clouds got super dark, and light rain started falling again. By this point it seemed like a big storm was about to erupt, and I was super nervous. I wasn't sure if I wanted to sleep here like I was planning on or if I wanted to abort the mission and make the trek back to my car. I was 6 miles from my car, and could be there in about three hours. Getting caught in a huge storm in the wilderness did not seem like my idea of fun. After taking a little time to weigh my options and figure what I wanted to do, I decided I would do the brave thing and wait it out. So I put my jacket on, put all my backpacking gear in a safe place under a tree that hopefully would help keep it dry, and prepared for the worst.

The rain began to fall, and I am thinking, "ok, here it goes." Jacket zipped all the way up, hood on, all my gear put away in the safest, driest spot I could find... And the rain fell for maybe 15 minutes, and it was never worst than a heavy sprinkle. When it was over, I thought to myself, "wow, that was it? I can't believe I almost started walking back to my car for that." I had never felt more like a weakling.

The storm passed, clouds parted, and I was greeted with one of the best sunsets I have ever seen. I couldn't believe that I almost missed it because of my fear of a storm that was basically nothing. 

What inspires me the most with nature and photography, is that I, just like everybody else, have wounds from my past that I carry, along with worries about the future. I grew up in a broken, violent home, and had to see and experience things I wish I didn't. My wife and I can't have kids, so sometimes I wonder how I am going to get through life when I am old. When I am out here in the wilderness though, none of that matters. The only thing that does, is what is right in front of me, the present, the "Now." In this moment, whatever childhood wounds I carry, or worries I may have of the future, are the farthest thing from my mind. This day at Lake Aloha, I was completely in the moment, no past to dwell on, no future to worry about. There is nothing better than being so enthralled with the "Now" that wounds and worries become irrelevant. We all have past wounds, and future worries... Be in the Now.