The 4th of July Holiday was here. Time to make it a long weekend up in the White Mountains of East Arizona, destination the unincorporated mountain community of Greer Recreation Area, or just Greer as the locals say.
I get a cabin that is way too big for just myself, but the location is ideal, centrally located for all things outdoors. The middle of summer should bring daily afternoon thunderstorms, and so I set up time lapse cameras throughout the property, hoping to capture something mystical to match the aura of this place.
The first day up here I head into the woods to go exploring. I find a county road that leads me to open mountain meadows of green with a trail that cuts through valley seamlessly. I just start walking….
Amazing cloud formations against the bluest of skies have me in a daydream as I walk. A few miles in and those clouds turn darker and I can feel the rain coming. I pick up my pace and try to see what path would be best for me to circle around the wilderness and back to my starting point.
A herd of cows block my path as they hurry into a grove of trees, searching for shelter from the rain, as it starts dumping in torrential buckets. I let the drops fall from the brim of my hat, stick my tongue out to catch a drop, reveling in the freedom of being caught in a summer storm.
Eventually I make it back to the cabin as evening starts to fill the sky with darkness.
Streams of orange and purple streaks in the clouds as the sun sets put a smile on my face. The twinkling of stars light the night as I sip on whiskey and listen to the silence of the White Mountains. A family of deer come down for a drink at the small pond in front of the cabin, disturbing a family of rabbits enjoying blades of grass.
Upon returning home, I see that I have some of my best time lapses yet. The skies above Greer really put on a show.
