400 miles, 4 states, 182 photos:
The images in the video are all from my trip from Pennsylvania to Virginia to visit my brother, by way of Shenandoah National Park. With this in-car camera rig, I used a radio remote to trigger the shutter when there was an interesting scene. Post-production was done in Aperture, Quicktime, and iMovie HD.
John Fielder remarked that the best time for photos is often when normal people would like to be eating dinner, so if you want the shot, pack a sandwich along with your camera. Catching this sunset at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia proved this to be pretty good advice!
I arrived in the park later than planned, which left me just enough time to make camp before driving to the trail head. Dinner was in the car - a turkey sandwich from the camp store. With the light waning, I double-timed it up the trail to the summit of Stony Man, and was rewarded with a great view, beautiful colors, and a nice collection of rocks and small pools in the foreground. After a few hours of shooting the changing scene, I donned a headlight and hiked back down in the dark, relieved that the glowing eyes in the forest were just deer and rabbits, not bears!
I always enjoyed camping growing up; a chance to be outside, see the stars, and skip showering for a few days. As an adult, it’s become tougher to forgo a soft bed, but this summer has shown me the fun side of it again.
With less money to spend on travel, camping offers a great bargain - especially if you can borrow gear from family and friends! (That tent is older than I am.) As for comfort, they key is throwing out all the catalogs of slick but uncomfortable backpacking gear and embracing the excess of car camping: an Aerobed and extension cord do wonders to change your perspective on sleeping outdoors!
Beyond the money, there’s the experience: being in the park, sunrise to sunset. That means catching great photos, seeing more wildlife, and being able to take advantage of more ranger programs.
