Josh’s Photoblog

So,

Last night, after a full day of work, I went to shoot my buddy Tyler’s sister’s wedding. Lots of fun, but not really what I’d prefer to be shooting. So, towards the end of the night, I grabbed Tyler and embarked on an adventure I’d had in mind for quite some time.

Here in Las Vegas, there’s this place called Lone Mountain, which is a smaller mountain that actually juts out from the rest of the mountain ranges that surround the valley and protrudes into the city. It’s about a half hour to 45 minute hike up (on the easy side), and it’s fun to take the kids up during the day. Now, about a month ago, some friends and I were riding around looking for something to do at about 10:00 at night, when Timmy suggested climbing Lone Mountain. Being testosterone-loaded young men, we praised the idea without a thought and within minutes were at the mountain. It wasn’t until about, oh, halfway up the hard side, when I came to a spot where there were no handholds or footholds, and clinging to the side of the cliff face in the dark, I came to a certain realization and muttered “Say, maybe this wasn’t one of our better ideas.”

However, it was then that I noticed the view. Now, I think you’d be hard pressed to find any spot on earth as hellish as Lone Mountain at night. I swear, you’d think you were climbing Mt. Doom. The rocks are sharp and volcanic, the plants dead, and thanks to the light from the city, there are no stars. One look inside the caves closer to the bottom will find you face to face with graffitti, cigarette butts, and other not-so-family-friendly items. However, when juxtaposed with the view of the city, which was unparalleled, I found a compelling potential shot, to say the least.

By the end of the night, three of us made it to the top together, two took about another hour, and my buddy Tyler puked about halfway up and ended up falling asleep in the parking lot while waiting for us. Despite all this, I knew I’d be coming back with my photo gear.

So, back to last night, we grab my gear and head over to Wal-mart to buy headlamps. I’m still not sure whether the cashier believed we were really about to go climb Lone Mountain in the dead of night. We arrived and hiked up to a cave overlooking the city, where I set up my tripod. While setting up my long exposures, we got a call from our friend Colton, who told us he’d meet us there if we stayed put. With all the long exposures I was taking, staying put certainly wasn’t a problem.

When Colton did finally arrive, we talked for a little while about some parties going on as we staked our claim on our ugly little mountain. I didn’t envy the drunks. Sure, mingling is fun, but it gets old after a while. I can’t really understand people who are content with merely doing the same thing every weekend. This I thought of at 11:00 at night on a mountain.

After a little while I left Tyler and Colton to climb a little higher for some better shots. I ran up the hill, carrying my shirt (since it was hot as hell) and tripod, with my camera strapped across my back. At the top, I set my tripod up and began. The solitude, the challenge of shooting, and the fact that I was fighting dizzyness and exhaustion on the side of a cliff were all adding up to some sort of Hemingway-esque manly experience in my mind. In other words, it was pretty awesome.

Around midnight, I peeled myself away from the mountain and headed home, hoping that the whole adventure had been worth the effort. I haven’t processed the shots yet, so I can’t really say anything other than stay tuned, kids. Because I plan on going back for more shots when the moon is in the right position.