Forget the Forecast
It was getting closer to 3pm. I had told myself that I was going to get back out on the trails by 4 and so I started to gather my things. I finished my lunch, got my backpack, and was ready to head out when Chad told me about the forecast.
Chad was a photographer from San Diego who had come to Moab to take some pictures of the famous Arches. As we enjoyed lunch near each other, he showed me some of the great shots of Mesa Arch that he had gotten at sunrise that morning. Before I left, I asked if he was going out for sunset and he told me no because the weather app predicted heavy overcast.
The cloudy forecast made me think twice. I was ready to go, but would it be worth it? It was a bit of a drive and it would have been a great excuse to stay. After all, I was having a good time. Chad was great company along with Norm and Tom, two locals we had met the day before. They had some great stories, some of which included being friends with Toby Keith, drinking Coors with Pete Coors, and I’m pretty sure Ice Cube came into play at some point. As I debated on staying or going they were telling funny (albeit slightly inappropriate) jokes and Norm had just bought another round.
It was tempting, and the forecast was discouraging, so I almost stayed - but I didn't. I gave my third beer to Chad, said goodbye, and made my way to Canyonlands National Park where I ended up experiencing my favorite hike of the weekend. Not only that, but I made it to Dead Horse Point State Park for the most extraordinary sunset I had ever seen. Myself and about 30 strangers just sat in silence watching the colors change. The picture above is just one of many that I took that night.
As I look back on the photos, I can't help but think that I wasn't supposed to be able to see anything good. I wasn't supposed to be able to see the light change on the mountains, or the colors dance across the sky as the sun slowly came down over the horizon. I wasn't supposed to be able to see it, but I did see it, because I was there. The forecast was wrong and I was ready for it because even though it didn't look good, I went anyway. I got in the car and drove the 45 minutes, and I tried.
When I showed Chad a picture later that night he was kicking himself for staying at the bar. He missed out on a great shot all because of a cloudy forecast that ended up being wrong.
In life, sometimes things aren't looking so good. There may be some overcast, and it can feel dark. But the only thing we know for certain is that nothing is certain. We don't know what the next day or even the next hour will bring. And it won't always be sunny skies, but you'll never see anything if you let a cloudy forecast keep you from even trying.
