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Thirsty Thursday: Just Do It

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Ancient Peaks 2012 Rosé

Hey hey hey! Thirsty Thursday here again. Time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Its been a tough week for Welliver Photography, but in the spirit of Thirsty Thursday's mantra of "get out there and do something" I found it fitting that I remind myself of the importance of getting out there. 

I often find myself floating through life thinking, hey, that _____ would be cool, I should do that some day. That blank, as Terry can attest, gets filled with all kinds of random, and often completely crazy ideas...doing an Ironman (I sink), thru-hiking the PCT, becoming a winemaker, trekking to Everest, running the Western States 100, learning to build custom bicycle frames, etc. And even the less crazy, doable ideas that fill that blank, like finishing the stupid Leadville mtb race, summiting Shasta, Hood, and Rainier in the same week, spending 20 nights in the backcountry in a year, going to Iceland, or even committing to racing a full season of cyclocross get brushed aside as something I'll eventually get to doing. Eventually. Those mountains aren't going anywhere. That race will always be there. Next year. Sometime. Eventually. 

And yes, those mountains will always be there. Yes, those races will always exist. Yet every once in awhile that Bubble of Eventually I'm floating in bumps into the harsh reality, reminding me that while those challenges will always be there, I may not always have ability to do all those things I say I want to do. So just do them. Stop with the eventually. 

So tonight I'm sharing a couple photos from one of those days when Terry and I did the completely crazy. After a day of skiing in the Swiss Alps (yeah, epic) we decided to hike to the top of a mountain and watch the sunset. It will be one of those sunsets I'll never forget, not just because it was incredibly beautiful...I mean, we were in the Swiss freakin' Alps...but because we were there, together, enjoying what were doing. Plus there's the story of the absolutely crazy post-sunset 7-mile hike down in the dark on a mountain that was getting groomed by snowcats. We glissaded down icy slopes in total darkness. A sweet old cow scared the shit out us. We barely caught the last train back to our hotel. It was awesome....because we just did it. 

Just a friendly reminder to get out there and do all those things you want to do! 

Thirsty Thursday: Switzerland Memories

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: Ventana Red Table Wine

Beth's leaving for Germany soon and then I'll be joining her in the near future in Italy, I figured it was appropriate tonight to sift through a few of our last European adventure to Switzerland. You could probably go back through the archives on the blog (March 2012) and find some better shots, but something new (or rather unposted) was in order for tonight. If Italy happens to be anything like Switzerland, I think we may never come back.  Of course, I do hope it's a bit warmer

Thirsty Thursday: View from Another Top

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: Ice Water

I should be packing right now, but I decided to take a break and post a few notes on the adventure we may be taking. We're not sure if we're actually going to go through with it yet, but we're prepping for it. Weather, both precipitation and wind, will be the deciding factors. I think we can take a bit of snow, but high winds will probably mean a no go. Oh, so, what's the adventure. . . to summit Mt. Shasta of course. Having never hiked 14er that's covered in snow, we're a bit leery. You have to start somewhere I suppose. We think we have the right gear (better sleeping bag for me is key).  Beth has of course researched more than me, but we've both read some about the hike. The hope is that we get some decent weather this weekend, but it's not looking so good at this point. We'll be checking the Shasta Avalanche site for details on the current conditions and will probably make the decision to go or not tomorrow. Wish us luck if we decide to have a go!

But on to the photographs for tonight. Talking about climbing a big mountain always makes me think of taking the train (yep, riding, not hiking or climbing) to the Top of Europe.​ It was definitely cold up there and windy, but not as high as Shasta. The views though, were amazing!

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​Only 11,782ft

The Welliver Photography Best of 2012

Well, here it is...our best from 2012. Last year wasn't a particularly prolific year of shooting for us, but we did squeeze in a few trips for some focused shooting in new spots. It's always a challenge to narrow down our favorites from the past year to a manageable collection, and in the interest of length, we decided to limit ourselves to 12 images each. Feel free to leave a comment and tell us which images are your favorites! 

Marin County: Golden Gate Bridge at Sunrise by Beth.

Panoche, CA: Brilliant Sunset by Terry. 

Garrapata State Beach: Bowling Balls by Beth.

Kaiser Wilderness: Snowy Trees by Terry. 

Switzerland: Lone Tree on a Snowy Hill by Beth.

Desolation Wilderness: Trail along Lake Aloha by Beth.

Kaiser Wilderness: Snowy Scene by Terry. 

Front Yard, Spreckels: Poppies by Beth.

Switzerland: Kapellbrücke Nacht  (Chapel Bridge Night) in Lucerne by Terry.

Switzerland: Shreckhorn by Beth.

Switzerland: Hut and Eiger by Terry.

Switzerland: Three Alps by Beth.

Switzerland: The view from Männlichen by Beth. Not the best technical execution in this photo, but the story behind this photo is epic. Stay tuned for that blog! 

Big Sur: Bixby Bridge by Terry.

Twenty Lakes Basin, Hoover Wilderness: Trail beside Conness Lake by Beth.

Twenty Lakes Basin, Hoover Wilderness: Cascade by Terry.

Twenty Lakes Basin, Hoover Wilderness: Campsite by Beth.

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon: Multnomah Falls by Terry.

 

Manzanar National Historic Site: Prayer Flags by Terry. 

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon: Waterfall by Terry.

Monterey, CA: Mustang by Terry.

Alabama Hills: Lathe Arch by Terry.

Alabama Hills: Mobius Arch, Rock, and Sierra Crest by Beth.

Alabama Hills: Mobius Arch by Terry.

Iowa: Cold Morning by Beth.

Of course Massey is wondering why she isn't included, so here's a bonus image of the dog posing like a rockstar.

Alabama Hills: Massey in the Mobius Arch by Beth.

We compiled our Best of 2012 in order to participate in Jim Goldstein's annual "Best of" collaborative project. In the next couple week's he'll post a whole long list of links to similar "best of" posts from other photographers. Be sure to check out that list as there is some truly amazing and inspiring work out there! 

Thanks for supporting Welliver Photography in 2012. Big opportunities coming in 2013...plenty of adventures to new places on tap. Here's to textured skies and nice light!

All photographs in this post are available for purchase in our Best of 2012 gallery on our store.