COLD ADVENTURES

Hi Neale,

Thanks so much for your podcasts, they keep me inspired to go photograph no matter what, your Friday Photowalk editions serve as a reminder to get out there and enjoy my photography.

I sit here drinking Leffe beer listening to Buck 65's Wicked and Weird and thought I would write to you and tell you of the last photography outing I had before yet another lockdown.

Five weeks ago I got home of a Friday evening and announced to my wife that I was going to take our seven year old daughter out for a car camping trip to the mountains to grab sunrise at the Col de la Croix Saint Robert, a mere 1451 meters or 4760 feet; some wonderful views up there and beautiful countryside to photograph.

I packed our Subaru Forester with all the necessities; food, water, hot drink, etc and a mattress with enough feather duvets to keep us warm as my weather app predicted freezing temperatures and snow. The weather up there is unpredictable and can be wildly different from what is predicted so I always over pack. I've slept out overnight and the predicted light snowfall turns out to be 80cm/ 32 inches, so I never underestimate mountain weather. The coldest temp here was -35c or -31F so better over prepared than under.

Car packed, off we set for the hour and a half drive into the dark, arriving in the late and cold with Sophia fast asleep already. I parked next to a camping car and crawled into the back and snuggled down for the night toasty and warm, waiting for sunrise.

I woke up to ice on the duvet and ice coating the inside of the windows of the car; car camping is always a cold affair in freezing temperatures. The wind outside whipping snow past the car, I dressed and ventured outside setting about scouting out photos to shoot before the little one wakes and daddy duties start. I photographed Sophia as she slept and the cool old Mercedes 308 van next to us which turned out to have a young german couple staying in it. As it turns out, Sonja is six months pregnant and with her partner Stani, are planning to travel to Mongolia in it which gives me instantly itchy feet as I’ve so wanted to overland to Mongolia ever since I was 18. Made some pictures of them and they set off on their way. [Do you think they may have arrived?]

I suited up Sophia in her ski suit and snow boots and we set off looking for some more things to photograph with a fresh dusting of snow. We laughed as we made a snowman called Bob, walking around lining up shots and Sophia falling between the grass tussocks and heather sometimes waist deep in the snow, heather and grass, laughing all the time.

All too soon it was lunchtime, we bundled back in the car and made our way down into the valley to eat lunch and head home in time for dinner.

Adventures like this remind me to take every chance I have to get out there and do something I love, whether it's on my own or with others because we never know what can happen - I never want to regret not living life to its fullest.

Regards,

Craig Hughes