It’s the morning of April 8, 2024. My camera equipment is packed in their bags, and vital Sun rotation information and eclipse timing information are scratched in a notepad. Somehow, despite years of notice about this historic total solar eclipse, the first to hit my home state of Maine since 1963 and the last until 2079, I’m committing the cardinal sin of photography: I’m trying to photograph a once-in-a-lifetime event with nebulous plans and no scouting.