Eternal Flame Magic at NightChestnut Ridge Park, Orchard Park, NY Revisiting local locations again. This time the idea came late during a very rainy day. It was just an hour before sunset and the last batch of rain just stopped and I had the thought of heading to the Eternal Flame for a night look. I figured the weather and late hour would all but guarantee a photo session without distractions. And yes, that planned worked. The path was wet and muddy with no cars in the parking lot and people on the trail.

I stayed somewhat late at the waterfall before waiting for the flame to be more visible as darkness settled in but this time I wanted an even darker night setting. I still had enough daylight left for the trek down to the gorge and up the creek. There was more water flowing than what I remembered from my previous summer visits. Maybe this one was still relatively early - it really still was spring - and maybe the all day rain had something to do with it. There was also a lot more debris in the creek bed forcing a more frequent back and forth between the two sides of the creek.

I could see the flame burning from far away as light was fading and the flame was burning strong despite the stronger flow of water. I had to work fast as my exposure times were around 30 seconds and I did not want to extend them much further. Even at this shutter speed the water texture disappears. Not a big deal though, the flame was to be the center of attention on this visit.

I worked several vantage points trying to find a possible new angle not used before and also one that would be all about the fire. In the end, I liked this perspective the most with the upper and lower portion of the falls curving in from top right and the flow in the foreground finishing the bow-like shape. And not only did I get a strong main flame but also a nice glow reflection on the shallow water flowing over the shale rock.

While it is a small flame it provided quite a bit of light. Every time I turned around to check on the light level for my retreat I realized how much brighter the scene was in front of me compared to what laid behind. I finished the unusually brief photo session, packed up, and headed back. I left my tripod legs extended and used it for support. And was I glad to have my head lamp with me! Despite that, negotiating the muddy banks and higher creek level I decided not to worry about my shoes staying dry pretty quickly. I figured I would get them wet and dirty eventually anyway so why not do it early and save myself the trouble of avoiding water. That worked nicely and my progress was faster. I reached the turn off from the creek and the path up from the gorge sooner than I expected, and headed into the darkness of the woods with the head lamp showing the way.

Just before the parking lot, there is a nice small meadow overgrown with weeds. And it became a dance floor for fireflies! Dirty and wet and wanting to get home fast I stopped and just watched for quite a while. It was magical!

Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you (#etbtsy)!

I have an older model of this headlamp, a Petzl Zipka, and that's what illuminated my way back this night. While it is a rather small lamp, the light output was what made the hike quite easy. I also had a small flash light with me but that was so faint compared to this headlamp that I did not even bother with it and stored it just for a back up.

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