I looked out my motel window at 5:30 a.m. and it was pouring rain.
The forecast for Bryce Canyon National Park was rain, wind, snow, and a winter storm warning.
The temptation to retreat back into my warm bed was high.
But experience has taught me the best photos often occur when I get outside and am prepared.
So I drove our group out to the canyon rim and we spread out along the railing;
sunrise was due at 7 a.m. and conditions looked dicey.
Suddenly something inside me demanded I dash uphill to the highest overlook.
At 8,200 feet I was hard pressed to jog in the thin cold air. I knew sunrise was any second,
and the low hanging clouds meant the sun would be visible only briefly.
Panting with exertion on a trail I had never hiked, I quickly composed my image,
steadied my hands, and recorded this glorious moment.