Embracing the Moment
The reason I have titled this Sunrise image, “Embracing the Moment” is because this image is a powerful reminder to me that our lives can be dramatically changed in a moment. You see, when I captured this Sunrise image at Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, it was a very emotional morning for me. I had no way of knowing that this would be the last sunrise image I would capture before our tragic accident that has left me blind in one eye. It was not my last landscape image before the accident, as that image was shared on an earlier post. It is titled “The Call of the Wild”).
But, the reason this image represents an emotional morning was because of the conversation I had with a lady at a convenient store on my way out that particular morning. At about 4am as I stopped at a convenient store to get some snacks for my hiking and photography, I overhead the lady tell another local who was at the cash register, “be careful of the bears.” What struck me about this statement was that we were Montana, everyone who lives in Montana do not need to ever be reminded of that. All locals are always bear aware. So I asked her why she mentioned that to another local. She responded to me by saying, “You didn’t hear? There was a bear attack the night before.” With chills running down my spine I continued listening as she explained that a woman in her 60’s was on a bike-touring/camping trip. Her and her two other friends had ignored the rangers warnings that there had been a Grizzly Bear in the area feeding on berries that day. Because they ignored the warnings, at about 4:30am the Grizzly came into their camp, and dragged her out of her tent and mauled her to death. It is a very sad story and a reminder that the great outdoors can be a dangerous place and we have to respect it and be wise and prepared when we enter it.
This story is why this image will always represent a ton of emotion that was going on in my heart and mind the morning I captured it. Not only was I extremely shaken up because of the tragic story, but I was also on red alert and very fearful for my own wellbeing that morning as I set up in the dark, totally alone. I have video footage of my time on the lake that morning but I am not sure it will ever make it to my YouTube channel due to the fact that my concentration was so bad because of my fear of bears that morning, that I found it difficult to put any words together that I find interesting or helpful.
However, this image will always be a reminder to me to truly embrace each moment in life and while you do, be sure to enjoy the journey.