2024 Solar Eclipse
My Logistical Mess
After being in Hawaii for the 2017 Great American Solar Eclipse (and too young to appreciate it anyways), 2024 was my year for solar eclipse photography. With a path going through much of the continental US, there were plenty of locations to choose from. Living in Pittsburgh PA put me about a 2 hour drive north from the line of totality (and only 3 hours from Niagara Falls, probably the coolest place in the line of totality). With family in New York and Boston, a short flight home opened up good opportunities in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Finally, a trip to Texas seemed to give the best chances of clear skies.
With ‘eclipse security’ in mind, I first chose Texas as my place to go. The 70% average chance of clear skies in April was far more attractive than the 30-40% chance in the Northeast. With that logic, 2 weeks before totality I booked a round trip flight to Houston- with the expectation that I would need to drive anywhere between Dallas, San Antonio and the Mexico border to ensure clear skies.
Stalking the eclipse day forecasts the week before brought bad news for my plans, as heavy thunderstorms were in forecasts across the state for eclipse day. With the forecasts staying the same in the days leading up to the event, I needed a plan B. Surprisingly, the forecast in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine was looking pristine and trading in a $900 round trip for an easy $300 flight to New York seemed quite exciting. So that's what I did– new plan: fly to New York, and drive North keeping more fine tuned details open for later.
And… one more change: driving back to New York after the eclipse seemed long (especially with predicted eclipse traffic), so I changed the return flight to be out of Boston, likely shaving 3-4 hours off a return drive.
So this plan led me to eclipse t-1 day. Heading to New York gave me some time to check the hourly forecasts and plan the rest of the trip. With forecasts seeming still mostly clear, but changing, in the Northeast: keeping options open seemed advantageous. I decided to make the 5 hour drive to Manchester NH that night, giving me a strategic location to pivot towards Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont or even the Adirondacks on eclipse day. After pulling into the Manchester hotel at midnight, I began making my game time decisions. With forecasts seeming most advantageous further to the east, I limited my search zone to the eastern portions of northern Vermont, the tip of New Hampshire and Southern Maine (with a passport in hand to possibly hop into Quebec). Overlaying google maps with the exact angle of totality helped me visualize locations. I eventually landed on Lake Willoughby in the North East corner of Vermont for its clear eastern direction, favorable forecasts, and proximity to an interstate. My decision came around 1:30am, just in time for a short nap before the big day.
5am came sooner than ever and it was eclipse day! A 5:30 start to the drive got me comfortably in the location area by 8:30 with location fine tuning being done by 9am, or T-6 hours. Over the course of the next couple hours I brought more gear from the car, including my new super telephoto lens and solar filter, and began creating my ‘spot’ with lounge chairs and towels overlooking the lake.
By T-4, I had my gear established enough to head out for food and talk with some fellow spectators. Killing time until T-1 got me to first contact. For this first partial eclipse phase I made sure to practice with all my photography gear and set a 5 minute interval timer for a composition later. As the minutes towards totality ticked closer, I got more nervous. A cloud formed near the location of totality, but was quickly broken up into clear skies.
A perfect day in Northern Vermont
As I counted the seconds before totality, I made sure to take off the camera filter to capture the famed diamond ring and then… 3.. 2.. 1.. Totality! A crazy but awesome feeling. One of the most spectacular events that I have ever witnessed. I made sure to take photos of it all, with my still camera, my drone and with my phone. All the hard planning work had given way to this amazing moment, but it only lasted 3 minutes. The final partial phase of the eclipse was much like the first, except for prepping to clean up and leave. By 4:30pm all the gear was in the car and I was ready to head back towards Boston.
The way back would have been a nightmare, that is if I was not still in awe from totality. What was a 3hr drive in the morning, backtracked into a 9 hour endeavor (going 20-30mph throughout the entire state of Vermont and most of New Hampshire). Luckily, the return flight switch to Boston likely saved an all night 12+ hour drive to New York. Pulling into the Boston area around 1:00 am ended my eclipse photography journey.