Three passes, one bonk, and a sunrise worth all of it

Two days across the high country with too much camera gear and not enough food. The plan was three passes before the light went. The reality was a bonk on the second that nearly ended it.

Somewhere past the tree line the legs went hollow. I sat on a rock, ate the last gel, and watched the valley fill with gold.

What saved it was the descent off the last col — an hour of falling through gold light with the shutter going the whole way down.