Downtown Truckee: A Winter Wonderland

The winter wonderland of Downtown Truckee, a photo I had been thinking about for over a year. I thought about getting this last winter, but never got around to it, so I really wanted to make sure I got it this year. It was early February, and no snow had fallen for a while, so I told myself, next snowfall, I have to get it. 

Snow was coming. The Sierra's were projected to get 7 feet in a week. I was ecstatic and stressed at the same time. I wanted to get it at dusk or dawn, fresh after a storm, so the trees would still have snow in them. So for the whole week, I cleared my schedule and all I could do was sit in my living room and constantly check the weather forecast and the road conditions to see when I could get the photo.

The series of blizzards had passed, and the forecast said there would be a break in the clouds in the morning. Only problem was... the roads were closed. The snow stopped around 3pm, so I hoped they would open in time for me to make it. I sat in my living room doing my usual stressed out pacing, constantly checking the roads and the weather. Then, at 10pm, I saw they were open... I was going to make it. 

I woke up at 3:45am as excited as ever. I drove up the pass, through the chain controls, hoping the roads around the town were clear enough to get to the viewpoint. I had to park a little farther away than usual, but nonetheless, I made it. I would have to walk about 200 feet over the powdery snow to get to the hillside. My first step, I sunk in up to my hip. Then after a few more, I fell in up to my chest. As I struggled to take my next step, I began to wonder, "am I making a mistake? Am I going to get stuck in this and need to be rescued?" Then I thought, "after all the stress I went through I have to get it." I found a way to take another step and kept going. I finally made it to the hillside and carved out some space in the snow to set up my tripod. I got there at the exact time I was hoping for, so I immediately started taking photos. The town dimly lit, just waking up after a blizzard, it was the shot I had been dreaming of. I drove home that day never feeling so relieved. What I had to go through to get this is one is something I will never forget.