It was magical. Totality may have only lasted two minutes, but Lauren and I agreed — it was one of the most exciting, unique and interesting things we’ve ever seen.
Seeing the eclipse at 99% was marvelous. Witnessing it at 100% was unfathomable. Humans caught in the path of these things before the advent of science must have lost their damned minds. It is a hair-raising, end of days sort of spectacle.
Highlights
Feeling the temperature drop and the air grow still about 15 minutes before totality.
Playing with shadows when the eclipse was building. If you held up your hand to the sun, every finger on the ground would be comprised of countless crescents, for example.
The thrill of being in a crowd when the big moment arrived and the cheer that rose up – spine tingling, palpable excitement.
The sudden appearance of nearby mountain peaks, hidden by wildfire smoke during the day, popping into sight like spectres in the mist during totality. It was downright eerie.
The absolute black of the moon. It was a perfect void in a dusky sky.
The same can be said about the return of the sun, two minutes later — that first diamond burst of sunlight around the moon was the most brilliant white I’ve ever seen.
Photography During Totality
From a photography perspective, I put all my eggs in one basket: lone camera, mounted fixed on a tripod with a prime, manual lens and a bulb shutter cable. The conditions changed so rapidly and there was so much to see! If I had to do it all over again, I would have kept my camera in-hand with a more versatile lens attached. But I am still pleased. I kept my self-made promise to only take four photos during the peak, and it was tons of fun.
3:20am – We left Portland and embarked on a dark, chilly ride, stopping in Estacada (the last town before the wilderness) to warm up with jumping jacks, coffee and hot sandwiches.
6:45am – We arrived at Bull of the Woods trailhead. The ride was challenging and incredible, even in the dark, and it included a 10+ mile section of dirt forest roads.
7:02am – At the trailhead
8:55am – The trail climbed almost 2000′ and we could see evidence of nearby wildfire through the trees
9:00am – Mount Hood makes a majestic appearance
9:00am – Mount Hood in the distance
9:10am – Nearing the lookout, we caught some great glimpses to the NE
9:12am – On the final steps to the summit, we began to encounter scores of people camped out along the ridgeline
9:13am – More campers and over a hundred day-hikers all converging on the same waypoint
9:15am – Arrival at the summit. It was packed. The best views were over the ridge in front of me, but it was standing room only.
9:18am – Like I said, standing room only. And I accidentally stepped on a dog’s tail. 🙁
10:05am – The eclipse is heavily underway, excitement is building as totality approaches
10:18am – A huge cheer erupts from the crowd as the moment of totality arrives. People applaud, laugh, holler, cry.
10:19am – I kept my self-made promise to only take four photos during totality. Here is one with a different color balance. It felt just a bit darker than this in real life.
10:22am – Just a minute after totality, turning to face west, it felt like sunrise for 360 degrees in every direction. Magic.
10:25am – People start to mill around, the light is still very weak at this point, but the show is largely over.
10:29am – The first people funnel off the summit.
10:32am – I took a walk around to the ridge facing east, and the sky still had that early-dawn feel to it.
10:55am – We popped our mini bottle of champagne, gushed endlessly with our viewing neighbors about what we just saw, then hit the long trail out.
11:15am – Nearly back to full daylight on the hike out
11:40am – Tree upon tree along the “motherlode trail”
12:35pm – Pansy Lake, accessed by a little spur trail on the hike out
Share this with your friends and I will make you a ham sandwich
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