Sitting here, killing some time at a Laundromat with one arm and leg propped up to stave off the oozing poison oak itch I have acquired under my arm pit and the back of my knee, I can’t help but think about the past week that landed me here.

Christian (younger brother along for the ride for 5 weeks this summer) and I spent Memorial Day weekend relaxing, kayaking, sleeping in and eating breakfast at noon (brunch, I guess) with some friends in Incline Village on the northeast corner of Lake Tahoe.  It was a nice weekend to feel good about not doing too much.

But that all changed with a last minute text message from some paddlers I know that put us in full mission mode.  We quickly made a plan, did some grocery shopping and packed up for a mean hike into the Royal Gorge section of the North Fork of the American river.  We had a brief meeting with the group about their logistics as well as our own then pointed the van to the trailhead.

Pulling in to our dirt road in the dark rain, we ran into the first of many impassible snow banks blocking the way.  We deliberated and drove around for an hour looking for another route, but never found one, so we ended up parking where we started and accepted an extra four miles of hiking to the trailhead the next morning.

Sunrise came and we were off, feeling good, but weary of the amount of mileage we were about to accumulate. 

Our progress found navigating snow covered dirt roads with no names to be tougher than we planned and before we knew it, I took us on an hour-long detour before finding the actual trailhead.  That was one hour that proved to be very dear.

The day wore on and we made our way down into the depths of the gorge in the piercing Sierra sun.  Climbing over huge fallen trees, yelling for bears and bushwhacking our way down a rarely used trail, we found ourselves pretty beat and behind schedule.  Determined to make it worth it, we kept pushing and finally made it to the set of drops where we had planned to meet our paddlers.  My heart sank as we looked and saw two kayakers at the bottom of the rapid, and the others portaging the next section. We were minutes too late and missed it.

They had waited for us, but had accidentally dropped their radio in the water and had no way to know if we were going to make it or not.  In the interest of making it to their planned campsite by nightfall, they made the right decision to keep going.  It was disheartening.  We really could have used that lost hour.

Deciding not to get down about it, we picked up and kept hiking, ready to get to the next designated meeting spot and rest for the night.  We all arrived at about the same time and went over the events of the day.  From big drops to invisible trails, it was a big day for everyone.

The next morning brought a beautiful Sierra sunrise and the sound of rushing water over Rattlesnake Falls.  There was an understood silence around the group as butterflies came up in everyone’s stomach.  The first move of the day would be three paddle strokes off of a 50-60 foot waterfall with a nice sized rock on both sides of the landing and a crazy peel out move for the lead in.

Three members of the team decided to go for it and they all styled it., but unfortunately something happened in the last paddler’s landing.  It looked great, but he injured his ribs and found he could barely move is torso.  He gave it a few minutes, then decided to shake it off and keep going, but soon realized it was too much.  He physically wouldn’t be able to finish the run and needed to hike out.

Christian and I were on our way out when one of the kayakers (acting as a messenger) ran up to us and explained the new situation.

Mentally preparing for our new scenario and the possibility of at least one more night out with a potentially dangerous injury, we put a plan together and went to retrieve our friend and his kayak. He was definitely in pain, but was still able to get himself to the other side of the river in order to carry his boat up a flatter section of boulders.  We tried to help, but he is pretty tough and the situation called for him to handle it. Just as it seemed like it couldn’t get any worse, he ran into a full size rattlesnake and was chased, kayak and all, along the shoreline.  BURLEY!

And if that wasn’t bad enough, we still had the prospect of starting the massive hike out to the van.

Two hours into the undertaking, we all realized that we were moving much quicker than we had expected and with that came the prospect of getting to the van by  nightfall, and more importantly, getting some cheeseburgers and milkshakes.  It’s funny, but that became our motivation.  It was the only thing on our minds, and I know it helped us.  It gave us a goal, and the more we suffered, the more we wanted it.

I was really feeling an old knee problem and my buddy potentially had some broken ribs, but we were powering through it. And like clouds lifting after a huge storm, the trail gave way to a dirt road and we knew we were home free. We hiked a few more miles on a FRESHLY PLOWED road that was of course covered in snow the daybefore, then hitched a ride back to the van with a fisherman and his daughter.

Next thing we knew, the three of us were inhaling cheeseburgers and strawberry milkshakes.  It was a grand way to end a day with true epic potential.

Our buddy made it to the ER in Truckee, CA and found out he had separated a rib.  Still not good, but in the scheme of things, it could have been much worse.

Being a Wilderness First Responder and knowing the complications with rib injuries (collapsed or punctured lung, internal bleeding, etc…) the situation could not have had a better outcome.

Overall, we missed a great photo because of some delay and confusion on our hike, but I am glad that we could be there for a friend.  Plans always change, and things happen that are out of our control, but dealing with it and moving forward are the only ways we can keep going.  As soon as a friend, partner, or team member’s health is in question, nothing else matters.

That is a perspective I plan to keep.

Thursday afternoon and the website was ready to go.  After 6 weeks of traveling, shooting, editing and planning, I was finally ready to relax. There was an impromptu BBQ at my friend’s house in South Lake Tahoe on a beautiful spring afternoon and I was set. Then he asked, “hey Trevor, what are you doing tomorrow?”  And for the first time in a month and a half I actually didn’t know.  That was a good thing, because a few hours later my brother (Christian, along for 5 weeks this summer) and I were driving to San Francisco to help my friend with a fun shoot involving some amazing people.

A stop in Placerville, CA for some In-N-Out burgers put my van a few parking spaces shy of a whitewater film crew’s Land Rover.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to hunt them down, so I pulled out my computer and emailed them, burger and fries in hand.

Moving forward, we made it to Livermore, CA around midnight, took a nap and woke for a 4 a.m. start.  The day went well and everyone seemed to be really excited about all of the images being produced.

As we broke down the day over some Thai food, my phone rang and behold, it was one of the members of the film crew that I had emailed.  We discussed our locations, plans and thoughts, and before finishing my meal, we were ready to start driving back to the mountains for a morning meeting involving some kayakers hucking themselves off of a 50-foot dam.

The next day went exactly as planned and I hid in some bushes as two kayakers snuck up to the dam and went for it.  The great part was catching them launch off of a 15-foot ramp at the bottom.  It was the first time I have seen, or even heard of, a kayaker actually getting float time in the air.

Afterwards we headed up to a known, but hidden gem called the South Silver.  Hiking and scouting yielded an amazing creek with unreal gradient, but too much water for any sane kayaker to try.  Tired of scouting and driving, we jumped on the Kyburz section of the South Fork of the American river and had a great time.  It was a great end to a very unexpected day.

Taking a rest day on Sunday, we helped a friend move and I made plans with some other paddling buddies to meet up on the Lovers Leap section of the SF of the American on Monday.  It was a good reunion with a burley section of river and lots of water to juice things up.  Looking back on it, there wasa bit too much water for me.

I knew it would be a tough day, but there was no way to know how tough.  The guidebook mentioned one portage, but had no description of any of the rapids.  That usually means one thing -- that there are too many big rapids to name and that there is no way to keep track of them all in order to describe them.  And that was the case.

I was breathing hard after the first rapid, and they just kept coming.  There was almost no respite from monster holes, fallen trees and blind drops with 50-yard split-decision handsignals for guidance.  We all handled it well (my two professional buddies much better than me) until I hadjust taken too much.  I was getting tired and before I knew it, the river found my weakness.  I got tossed at the top of an impressive set of drops and never recovered.  My paddle was ripped from my hands and I pulled the cord, ejecting from my kayak only to feel more vulnerable.  I had a few seconds to decide how to swim the rest of the rapid and went for it.  Luckily my intuition was right and I was able to make it to a safe eddy without any more drama.  And likewise, my two buddies saved the day and were able to collect my boat and paddle in the middle of the chaos.  Thanks guys.

The rest of the run went pretty well and I ended up walking out of the last ½ mile because there were too many hazards for me to feel comfortable, especially after being shaken by one swim already.

In the end, it was a good day.  I challenged myself, but kept the big picture in mind and took myself out of the equation when there was too much risk for myself and the others involved.

By choosing to participate in these types of sports and situations, you have to ask yourself, “at what cost am I willing to pursue my endeavors?”  Put that simply, the answer is always clear.

Thanks again Bryan and Andrew.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to the new Trevor Clark Photography Website.

For those new to my company and me, I hope this will give you some insight into my passion for capturing the essence of adventure.

For those who have followed me over the last year, you know I have been through alot of ups and downs, successes and failures, elation and disappointment as I have worked to put this small company together.  Overall, I will say that it has been amazing and I wouldn’t trade one minute of it.  From hang-ups with contacts and equipment to the haunting “what do I do now” question and the nagging worry of where the next paycheck will come from, I have grown into a person and company that I know I can depend on in adversity.