Moss under the Falls

One of my favorite areas around Manhattan, KS to shoot is a place known as Pillsbury Crossing. You can see more pics of the falls and surrounding area here. When the river is flowing, the falls stretch 45-60 feet across and as high as 5 feet. In order to reach the falls, you must either drive or walk across a limestone shelf where the water is only a few inches deep.

This is where my gear about met it's end. During this shoot, the river was down to a trickle across the limestone shelf. I tried to walk across the shallowest path to avoid my jeans getting soaked. I decided on the best path and was well over halfway and looking good. I chose one area that looked like the water was almost at a stand still. With one wrong step, my leg plunged 2.5 feet to the bottom below the moss-covered water. My momentum carried me further into the river and my left leg had to follow. So now I am soaked up to my thighs and stumbling forward as my feet keep slipping on the surface below. I'm able to regain my balance and not tumble head first into the puddle within the river. With my gear in my backpack, fortunately, nothing touched the water. So I spent the next couple of hours, shooting the falls at sunrise, with soaked jeans and quite cold.