Nature stairway

For some reason, I had yet to publish this image which is one of my favorites. It was taken in the fall season in Utah. We had hiked here before sunrise to make sure that we had the place to ourselves and to make the most out of the golden light. Despite our drysuits and being well layered, walking through the water to get here was agonizing. I was tired, dehydrated and ate poorly in the morning. I had too many layers and I overheated on my way in, only to freeze as soon as I stopped and waited for the light to get this image. Both my feet were in the cold icy water for a couple of hours. I became ill on the way back and I had just enough energy to walk back to our vehicle. I am quite happy with the final result, but I can’t look at this image without remembering the pain that came with it.