Don't Let Bad Weather Stop Your Adventures

As a landscape photographer, in the past I would always let my hikes and outdoor adventures be dictated by the weather. If it was a cloudy, overcast or very wet day, if it didn't seem like there would be a good sunrise or sunset, I would stay indoors.

I'd then though, get frustrated at the number of days I was actually going out and how it was much lower than what I would like it to be.

So I'm determined to change that now and stop letting the weather dictate when I do actually go out - I do have waterproofs and appropriate clothing after all and sometimes I should just go out and take photos for the sheer joy of it. Not every photograph has to be award winning worthy!

I've wrote and made videos in the past about how focusing on only taking photos that I think will do well on Instagram has made me a worse photographer. What's much more important than worrying about how many 'likes' a photo will get or whether conditions are going to be perfect for a stunning sunrise is just to enjoy the process of taking photos and just to enjoy the moment and experience of being outdoors and with nature.

So recently I decided to go for a hike up High Pike, the northernmost fell in the Lake District that is above 2000ft - despite the fact that Storm Gareth was on it's way. It's a simple enough hike with a nice easy footpath to the summit, however as I got close to the summit the weather really started to get bad.

The wind had picked up dramatically and was almost blowing me off my feet at times, the sky was turning darker and it had started hail stoning.

I was very close to the summit when the weather started to get really bad so I was in two minds whether to try to carry on and try to reach the summit or just to turn around and head back down to the safety of my car.

It is one thing to reach the summit, but I've then got to get back down again as well and on top of that I was by myself, so if I had fallen and injured myself I would have been in serious trouble, so I decided to head back down again.

I was slightly frustrated that I didn't reach the summit, as I don't like to back down when I set myself a challenge but I think I made the right decision and I am definitely pleased I made the effort to go out for a walk despite the oncoming storm.

I felt much better for going out, I'm always at my happiest when outdoors and by pushing myself I also felt much more confident and satisfied with myself that unlike the past I hadn't let the weather stop be from doing what I love.

You can watch my video from the hike below.