Sunsets are easy. They land at the end of adventures. Sunrises, on the other hand, are difficult. I have taken photos of sunsets time and time again but there is something about the sunrise that cannot be duplicated. Maybe it's because of the effort required.. I can't tell you how many alarms I've set and snoozed, only to waken disappointed with myself when I inevitably see the beautiful display of light in the sky. I took this photo on one such morning. I arrived in SC the night before, exhausted from an international flight, with the vague intention to get up and drive somewhere new to take photos. Miraculously, I managed to get myself out of bed at a very early hour to drive over an hour with the hope of something magic. I think the thing with sunrises is you never really know what you'll get. You can look at cloud cover and weather forecasts the night before but it's really all left up to chance. It can be quite painful to wake up extremely early on your day off, drive in the darkness when you're half asleep only to end up with a hazy, clouded view. On this particular day, my goal was to head to Caesars's Head State Park. This park has listed hours starting at 9 am.. I was just hoping I could find access. On the way up, I saw a pull off to the right and just decided to stop. This, as I now know, is Bald Rock. A giant rock face covered in graffiti and broken bottles but with a perfect view of table rock, SC and the valley below. I was alone and without a tripod as I didn't expect to linger. Oh, how I was wrong.
We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!
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