Hats, Gloves, Skis & Poles Redux
By Paul Sumi
"Listening to Steve is a Good Thing"
We've all done bonehead dumb things in the field, whether it was not bringing enough film or CF cards, forgetting to recharge batteries or something like that. Usually it's not a big deal, and you work around it. But every now and then Murphy strikes in bigger ways to remind us that "what can go wrong, will." This is my story of two near-miss encounters with Murphy's Law.
Steve is obviously well-acquainted with Mr. Murphy. In his e-mails to those of us attending his Colorado Fall Color workshop last September, he made it very clear that redundancy in critical gear was a good thing: "2 pair of hiking boots, always have a dry pair as backup." And "unless you are prepared to be a sightseer at any moment, a back up camera is a must! "
Naturally, I read these two bits of advice and gave them no further thought.
The workshop was terrific. The weather was perfect and the light was warm. We were up on a back road in the Uncompahgre National Forest, photographing aspen and weather-worn wood fences. I set up my tripod, attached my camera, then turned to put something away in my pack. I turned back just in time to see the camera tilt and slide off the ballhead. In my haste I hadn't tightened down the knobs properly.
Heart pounding I picked up the camera and examined the body and lens. Shook them gently. No damage and no rattles. Extremely relieved, I put the camera back on the ballhead -- PROPERLY this time -- and started shooting again. Today, thousands of frames later, both camera and lens are still working perfectly.
The boots? They made it through the workshop fine. But I stayed for a few days in Colorado afterwards with a friend. Returning to our car from a hike on the Continental Divide, I looked down and saw one of the soles separating from the bottom of the boot. Fortunately, it was the last day before I returned home and I had other shoes to wear on the plane. But Murphy had warned me again.
I'm planning to join Steve on his Canyonlands workshop this fall. Guess who's going to pay very close attention to everything he says?