A June day.

Stifling, high heat. Where: a few miles off a highway in Kentucky. Me: a fair-skinned person who left her hat in the car. Unsuitable adornments: a long skirt, heavier than the weather warranted, a v-neck tee, and sandals with wedge heels. Italian leather, well-cushioned. Made for sustained walking excursions, albeit safe, flat city ones.

I went rogue.

Half a mile up the side of a steep hill, through a woodsy trail. Climbing, up up up, like a pack mule. Sweat-drenched. Determined. For what? A panicky attack of vertigo, and a stunning view of a river I’d only read about earlier that day.

This view, this river:

Kentucky/river: worth it. A photograph I snapped using a single hand, buckling knees,  and averted eyes. June 2014.

A flushed face, drenched shirt, and fear-of-heights induced inability to stand up straight? A small price to pay, all for one decent photo and a story that later made my grandma laugh (thanks, mom!).

This is my entry in the Weekly Photo Challenge: Achievement.