I’ve been to Oregon’s stunning Smith Rock State Park countless times for sunrise. On this winter morning, the area around the park was shrouded in an icy inversion fog when I arrived. Smith Rock’s famed vertical walls were completely hidden.
I knew that this type of fog settles in low-lying areas, so I optimistically and instantly began hiking up the park’s well-known “Misery Ridge” trail. Yes, there is good reason it is named Misery Ridge—it is steep. I had arrived early for sunrise, but wasn’t certain I would have time to reach the summit of the trail in time for sunrise. After an impromptu 25-minute cardio workout, I’d summited with 5 minutes to spare.
I positioned myself on the edge of a 500-foot vertical drop and waited for what would prove to be one of the most remarkable light shows I’d witnessed at Smith Rock. The inversion fog had cleared just enough to allow the first light of morning to break through and warm the peaks of the “Smith Rock Group” while the aptly named Crooked River flowed below. The fog added an ethereal feel to Smith Rock’s Towers and remained low enough to allow the snow-covered Three Sisters Mountains to be visible. This special morning was a pleasant reminder of the role that preparation and good fortune have in my landscape photography world.
