a solitary adventure

as much as i treasure alone time, i recently realized that i rarely go on "adventures" alone.

that is, wild outdoorsy nature adventures in which i must be a little bit brave and strong.

so the other day i had a plan to go to an easy river-spot right under mosquito bridge requiring very little hiking or rigor. but the road was closed (probably because that old bridge is about to fall down) to all cars, bikes, and pedestrians until october 31!

so i was stuck climbing down to a different river spot that requires a steep hike into the canyon.

even though it is my favorite spot it is quite remote and so, my friends, i have never attempted it alone because every little noise frightens me and the idea of weirdos out in the woods scares me even more.

but i did it! not only that, but i packed my backpack full of clothes for my shop, slung darin's camera over my shoulder, and brought along the tripod as a walking stick! thus loaded, i began my descent down the poison oaky-woodsy-slippery-dusty-mountain trail.

took my time slipping and sliding with all my gear and finally made it down to my favorite river spot!

dirty and hot, i immediately flung my things down and leapt into the cold invigorating water.

this spot is amazing because there are good rocks for jumping or diving, as well as shallow rushing rapids for crossing and frolicking and tons of nooks and crannies to explore.

i stayed until the sun got low behind the trees.

then hiked back up that unyielding little trail.

everything is dry in august, and it was a hot breezy day, so i walked to the rhythm of rustling leaves and empty seed pods...

a snake crossed my path rather suddenly, and i threw down my stuff and turned defensively (he was long gone). it was then i realized my backpack was slightly open and i had been dropping things along the trail! etsy clothes! so i had to hike back down the steep part looking for my belongings and i never did find my own little white tank top, oh well...a ghostly gift to the next girl who comes down for a dip.

the trickiest part about this whole solitary adventure was trying to do some modeling shots down there.

the camera on the tripod was making me very nervous as there were no real flat sturdy spots and there was a breeze in the air that i thought could knock down my cheap rickety tripod!

plus it was so bright out that i kept running back and forth to see if i had weird shadows and such.

it was fun but exhausting.

i wanted this little black lace dress to look like something from one of shakespeare's forest witches:

spring green skirt:

blowing in the wind...

cute little eyelet blouse:

natural mexican senorita dress:

and abstract brushstroked little 70s dress:

all these items should be on sale by the end of the day in my shop, filled with the toil and love of a brave girl's adventure!