Week 37/52 - Wild Child
We are now in the middle of October. The weather is so damn cold! Especially in the morning. Yet, the sunrises are breath taking here in Seattle. Although, we are experiencing heavy rain and wind storm. A downpour to the max. Moving on!
I am happy to introduce a new friend which we actually met in person for the first time last month! Say hello to Tia. She is the 37th portrait of the week for September 10th to September 16th. We met online way back in May this year. We attempted to get together for months, however, our schedule kept conflicting. It wasn't until a week before the shoot, I asked her to be in my project as a way to hang out, do some awesome photography, and meet in person. I noticed she started hiking on her Instagram and sharing her photos online. Automatically, I asked her to go on a hike with me and I chose Mailbox Peak for our location as our first meet up. What you will learn about her and our day together is full of joy, humor, and beauty from all around. Come take a hike with us and enjoy the scenery.
Tia, the wild child shirt wearer from Spokane, Washington, is an extraordinary woman who devotes her all with her family and life fully. What I know about her is she loves to travel, encourage positive vibes with anyone, has an interest toward photography, and has a bad ass hairstyle just like mine! She currently lives in the Puget Sound area working in the heart of Seattle Metropolitan. She made that move earlier this year and absolutely loves the change of scenery. So far, I see it as a pleasant welcoming addition to the best part of the PNW.
On a weekday in the middle of September, we set up a location to car pool together. Our time to meet was at 8:00 AM and picked Bellevue as the middle spot. However, we didn't realize how terrible traffic are around that area especially at the 9:00 AM time. Shucks, we were lucky to park and carpool because it was that jam packed. Once we met up, off we drove to Mailbox peak. The morning sun rays was incredible. The drive was long yet not long. It was perfect. The day was bright and sunny. Luckily, it was warm for us to pack lightly. At Mailbox, there are two trails you can take. Washington Trail Association created a new trail that is longer with up keeps and then there is the old trail which is crazy yet shorter. We went on the old trail thinking we can beat it. What we didn't expect was the steep incline which forced us to find long tree branches for us to hike back and forth. We shared conversations about photography, hiking, people, and traveling. All the while, sweating our butts off and pounding through the trail. We talked about what kind of style we give off for our photos. I tend to bright and lively with raw feelings for my subjects and she goes for the moody, dim lit approach. Both are incredible and unique of their own. Once we got past the insane incline, we made it to the bolder which was already at 4500 elevation SQ Feet. We needed to climb 500 feet more just to make it to the top. BUT! Oh my goodness. We weren't able to reach to the top because I ran out of time. I had to work in two hours. We had to head back and took the old trail back. That was a big mistake because man, our legs was hurting and we were slipping. As for work, I was late. Oh well. I enjoyed the hike and deemed to return back to Mailbox Peak and complete the damn trail. This was our first expert level hike that I decided to pick because it was so popular. Tia had hiked at beginner to intermediate level trails. I thought we can handle it. We did. Just at a snail pace.
It may taken us more than a few months to finally get together in person, yet, spending that one day hiking with Tia was worth it. We got to know each other within nature and shared deep conversations about our past and we are up to. At the time of the hike, she shared about a wedding trip that was happening two days after our hike. It astonished me she spend the day with me before her flight the following day. She is a lovely person and I see that clearly through her Instagram and Facebook. She allows herself to be vulnerable, authentic, and carefree. I find that admirable.
Best of all, thank you for sharing your day with hiking and being in my project. I hope what I captured of our day is a memory lane and we can continue to hike more awesome places in the future. Also, that the photos you see here is something to hold deeply to share with others. Keep being you wild child!
I feel great to finally release our week online. I still have more to go and I need to get them out quick. I am sorry I haven't been on my project for a while. Life happens and I have to manage that. I hope you understand that and continue to read what I have shared about my life. Thank you for your support and attention. Have a beautiful weekend. I'll talk to you soon!
- Sally