Sunday is usually a day of rest and relaxation, not so much this time around.

Normal hiking arrangements were set up last Sunday with my friend Jenny from Roanoke. We were planning to hike Barney’s Rock which takes you about two miles past the cascades trail loop and up into the mountainside. The day was overcast and cold. Snow and ice blanketed the ground and it was quite a treat to have the place be so clear and free from people and noise.

We hit the first couple miles incredibly fast and ended up trekking right up the mountain towards Barney’s Rock. On our way up it was getting increasingly foggy; looked like a scene out of a horror movie…but boy oh boy was it beautiful! We stopped for a minute just to listen to the still forest with its calming voice.

After missing a couple turns, we finally got out to Barney’s Rock to catch the spectacular vantage point. Of course, the fog had another idea. I thought it was such a cool moody scene and that maybe taking some aerial video would make for amazing content to share with y’all. I flew around like normal, full battery and after one of the coolest shots I have executed to date, the drone hovered as I was cheering on about making the shot work! I look at the drone with a weird feeling in my gut, and there it goes…all four props stop spinning and it falls over the few hundred foot cliff.

*Come to find out, the software failed and showed four separate warnings, this is why it ‘randomly’ fell out of the sky.

This is where the hike got fairly wild and tested our grit. We had to scale down nearly 800 feet of cliff lined mountainside, with small patches of woodland scree to hassle with. Needless to say, we made it down safely (although I did take quite a tumble after a chunk of ice broke loose and took me with it!). As you can see below, mostly all of the vertical terrain was ice covered, always makes it a little more difficult to scale.

We were not able to find the drone even with the GPS assistance. The night was upon us and it was getting too dark and dangerous to stay out, there is always a tomorrow, no need to push your luck. It is still out there, I just need to get back and track it down! I am in the works with DJI for a fly-away case, I hope it pans out!

Do any of you have a drone that you have had a bad experience with? How about good experiences? I think they can create awesome content and really make for some incredible shots! I am looking forward to the increasing technology to make them quieter, faster, and safer.

Have a great week, everyone!