Checking it twice is nice

 

[avatar user=”Tim” size=”medium” align=”left” link=”file”]

Camera bag was packed and I was ready to go or so I thought. I picked up my friend, Mary, and away we went. Hasselblad, tripod, film, filters (we still used them in those days), I was ready to see Yosemite in all it’s glory. We drove a few hours to our motel rooms for the night. Up before the dawn, we were headed into the predawn twilight filled with anticipation, excitement and visions of grandeur. A couple of hours later and a couple cups of caffeine under our belts and we are on the valley floor, sunrise and mountains rising above us, spectacular! Pop the trunk for the last equipment check and we’ll be off. I grab my 500CM and reach for the A12 magazines to load film and the side pouches of my gadget bag are empty- ok- I probably tucked the A12s inside the camera bag. OMG! Not there! What the?
Thorough searching leaves me with that empty, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. No magazines…no photography! After my shock turned to amazement and then to humor I realized my options were clear:
Hiking, lunch, cold beer and good company.
After a good laugh at my oversight we took her gear and headed out.
Being prepared and thinking you are prepared are two different things. After 25 years I have not forgotten this lesson. I check everything twice, on different days, before leaving the house!
It helps having Mary retell this story, much to her delight, at every opportunity. A constant reminder that checking twice, beats forgetting every-time.