Leon Turnbull Photography

I was standing right on the edge of Secret Falls (aka Granite Lake Falls) to get this shot. My tripod leg was practically right in the stream, as I tried to get as close to the edge as possible to get the shot that I wanted. Don’t worry. It was quite safe enough. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to take any more steps to the right, but I didn’t feel I was in a dangerous spot at any time, even though it may not look like it from the photo (and that would be a good thing, because I was trying to give you the viewer a sense of vertigo or precariousness, looking down from the top of the falls). I always play things on the conservative side when I visit waterfalls. I am well aware of the dangers involved, falling on slippery rocks, or into rushing streams. Many people have died at waterfalls, and I don’t plan to be one of them. However, I do have nightmares about that, but that’s another story.

After my beautiful morning visit to Secret Falls, I still had some time to spare before I needed to head back to Cameron Park for the church service. I tried to find another waterfall, but this time I struck out. That happens more often than not, when waterfallin’. I was scrambling up a small stream off trail, and thought I saw a waterfall in the distance. It looked like it might be a pretty nice one too. I continued scrambling up to it, through quite a lot of brush, and when I finally got up to it, I realized it was just a small 5 footer. From the distance it looked like it might be a lot bigger. I was a bit bummed, it would have been so sweet to find a new waterfall, but at least I did get to one nice waterfall, sometimes I don’t even get that.