a story of an unforgettable moment.

cue obnoxious phone alarm tone.

my body jolted awake. i'm not one of those people that wakes up calmly in the wee hours of the morning. i get scared awake. it's an awful way to start the day, so after turning it off, i laid there a few minutes allowing the adrenaline to seep away and listened.

nothing. there was nothing.

i looked up through the somewhat foggy window at the stars peeking through the branches. so many of them.

we slowly woke up and more or less, in a sort of robotic motion, rearranged the car into a drive-able state. which consisted of shoving everything in the back with a couldn't-care-less-because-it's-4-o'clock-in-the-morning attitude. we could fix it later. necessities first.

with dawn quickly approaching, we gathered everything up and as quietly as possible made our way out of the campground. we followed the winding road up the mountain again, backtracking the way we came the night before. or rather, just a few hours before.

the parking lot was nearly completely empty, and thus a spot of honor required no competition.

i grabbed my camera and tripod and we headed up the trail, the dim morning light lending us a bit of a guide.

my anticipation built as we rounded the corner and came through the trees, reaching the trail head. glacier point. yosemite in all its glory at the beginning of a fresh day.

there was another photographer standing on top of the rocks, getting in some shots.

kamilla and i just stood there and stared off at the mountains for a few minutes. i walked over to the railing, nearer to the bottom and took my spot. i was secretly wishing the photographer and his friend-person away so we could have the area to ourselves.

eventually he left.

completely silent.

kamilla sat behind me on the rock formation as i set up my gear. we took turns guessing where we thought the sun would come up.

pure, uninterrupted silence. this beauty was all ours for the time being.

© miss kayla photography | 2014

the scene that laid before me was a breathtaking one, to say at the least.

clouds lay low and hung over the valley due to forest fires from the day before. the barest hint of burgundy was beginning to show, highlighting the tips of the mountain forms. birds chirped their sweet notes into the crisp morning air.

the stillness held such a reassuring peace. one that arrested you from any care or worry you dared have before entering this place.

we kept glancing at each other as if to say "is this for real?"

little by little the sun rose at its own pace, not hurrying any faster than it needed to.

© miss kayla photography | 2014

i almost wanted to hold my breath in fear that i would miss it, or something anyway. everything around me was waking up, responding to light's touch and awakening to a new day. in their own time. not rushing anything. peacefully, yet steadily coming to life.

and then. the sun began to peak out from behind the thick clouds, calmly making its way up into the sky.

© miss kayla photography | 2014

in some way, it was really like gaining an entirely new perspective. we'd been here the night before for sunset, which was amazing.

but there was something to watching everything start over with the sun rising, and all you could see with your naked eye in the process of transforming from darkness to being visible - from the small details to the big picture.

© miss kayla photography | 2014

a couple of other people had joined at this point.

we all just sat or stood in awe and enjoyment of the beauty taking place right in front of and all around us.

there were no words, really. even these photos don't do it justice. they can't.

so much of it was in the atmosphere and overall feeling of being there.

i couldn't have had a care in the world if i'd tried.

a while after the sun had fully risen, we just sat there. still taking it in. enjoying. soaking in the peace of the moment.

one to always be remembered.

things happen in their own time and most cannot be rushed. the sun doesn't speed up for fear of not making it or stress over setting again. the birds weren't shrieking their dismay at the gradual stride of the sun.

just.

enjoy the moment. be IN the moment.

we cannot afford to lose out what's here, now.