This weekend we went exploring a bit.  Rain pushed our plans back a bit but we arose early Sunday morning and headed out towards Medoc Mountain State Park, about ninety minutes northeast of the Triangle.  Once a volcanic mountain, the “peak” is now 325 feet above sea level and is entirely forested.  All the same, it was a gorgeous, cool (if humid), overcast, and surprisingly minimally-buggy morning hiking in the woods.

As with a lot of hiking in the East, I find myself looking down at my feet a lot.  This has the benefit of avoiding (most) roots and errant rocks, but it also gives me the opportunity to see things that others might easily miss.  The small details are often just as interesting as the whole.

While I packed several lenses for the trip, I found myself hiking the majority of the time with my new 50mm f/1.2L.  Some of that is the “new, shiny” effect of a new lens, but it’s also that I’m trying to work within the limitations of a fixed focal length: using the “human zoom” of getting closer or backing away from my subject, and thinking a bit outside of the box.

When we returned to the trail we found a cluster of Tiger Swallowtails sitting on the ground.  I did not expect them to stay put while I ran to the car to grab my macro lens, but sure enough one let me approach!  It was a good day for walking in the woods.