A Hint of Fall - Moonrise Serenade: A Solo Overnight Canoe Camp

Moonrise

As I relaxed beside the campfire where my campsite commanded a strong view of the lake, a hint of fall settled across the landscape. What had been a hotter than normal Kentucky summer, rebounded nicely in mid-August to tease my senses with cooler temperatures and lower humidity. This change in the air was made all the more enjoyable by a musical breeze that strummed the tops of the tree-covered ridges stimulating them into a spontaneous song, backed up by the rhythmic wind blown waves rolling against the gravel bank. As the sun slipped behind the ridge behind me the air took on an even more crisp, fresh feel to it and dipped toward a chilly evening. I needed a moment like this one, where my desire to get away for a while and explore the perimeter of Barren River Lake, found a somewhat isolated place where I could pull my canoe out of the water and spend an evening alone. What was to greet me that evening proved itself a special Beyond the Campfire moment afield.

After somewhat of a late start, I paddled a few miles up the lake that afternoon to check out a location I believed might prove a good camping spot. It was better than I hoped for, being a wide gravel and sandy beach looping across and around a small point of land ending with a gentle slope at the waters edge. A stiff headwind worked against me for most of the paddle which provided a good workout and a couple of blisters on both thumbs and a few fingers. 

After setting up camp where I stretched a tarp across my canoe turn onto its edge, I made an inventory of all the gear I had packed, which was way more than I needed. I made some time to relax and wait for the light to shift toward that golden hour just before and after sunset. I did make a few short video clips for future use in a follow up BTC production, but mostly I just relaxed, ate a quick meal, and made ready my camera gear. Two camera bodies, 4 lenses, two tripods, a microphone, plus some essential extras added up to extra weight, but I used almost all of it.

 Sunset snuck up on me and I almost missed the opportunity, so I scrambled around to take a few quick photos. As I walked back toward my camp, I heard a loud screech sort of like a hawk would make, but higher pitched. At the second screech, I looked skyward and discovered perched in the top of an old dead tree about 30 feet up, just behind my camping area, was a magnificent Osprey. In one talon he held a fish, still alive and struggling to shake free. He seemed oblivious to my presence as he worked on eating his catch. The light was very low by this time, but I did manage to shoot a few video clips and take some photos of this striking bird. With such low light the focus was a bit soft, but the reward came not in capturing a photo, but in being able to share a natural moment with a beautiful bird of prey.

As the light faded beyond good photography, I built a fire and waited for the expected moonrise. The previous night a full moon had cast shadows across the landscape and I was hoping for a similar sight just one day out. Gradually, a faint glow appeared behind the ridge across the lake. A few stars were out, but the sky was still somewhat bright precluding any good night sky photos...I did take a few anyway. 

Moonrise

I've always been amazed just how long it takes the moon, or sun, to finally rise above the horizon once it begins its climb, but when it does, it seems to race across the sky. 

The thin layer of clouds hovering over the ridge across the lake caught the silver light of the yet unseen moon turning them into a glowing aberration. 

A bright spot appeared through the top edge of the ridge outlined by trees across the top. Inch by inch the moon climbed into view until it broke free of the ridge top. The layer of clouds were set ablaze by the near fullness of our lunar neighbor. I sat my camera with a wide angle lens on a tripod and positioned it behind me about 10 yards or so.  Using a 10 second timer, I pressed the shutter release and swiftly moved forward to the edge of the water. I heard the click, and when I examined the result, I knew I had captured a unique photo. It is near impossible to capture a bright moon on a dark night without either blowing out the moon, or blacking out the terrain and sky around it. I had set the exposure for the latter and allowed the moon exposure to fall where it may. The result created an image that looked more like a sunrise than a moonrise. I was pleased with the result.

Moonrise Serenade

I slept very little that evening., but I did not mind for I was serenaded by the forlorn night songs of distant coyotes. My campsite offered a perfect view of the near full moon well into the evening, perfect setting for the coyotes to raise their voices. I simply lay on top of my sleeping bag absorbing the ghostly view of the calm lake as it was also serenaded by the soft moon light. Eventually, the night chill persuaded me to crawl inside the bag. The night was so bright, I could see details in the trees across the way and ghostly shadows dancing in the moonlight.

 I've witnessed countless full moons, photographed them dozens of times, almost always the same cliched way. This moonrise serenade image is by far the most unique and possibly best photo I've ever made of the moon. As I thought about it later, I realized just how much taking this image fit in with the Beyond the Campfire theme. I've spent a great deal of time taking photographs of a great many subjects and the ones that stand apart from the others are the ones where a different approach was applied to their capture, one where I made an effort to be in the right place at the right time to discover what the light of the moment offered. Kind of like thinking outside the box, beyond the campfire, where looking at nature with a different set of perspectives can provide memorable if not outright one of a kind personal moments of affirmation.