half dome

The Way of the Mountains

There are sunsets.
And then there are sunsets in the Sierra Nevada.

The play of shadow and light on the steep rocky slopes of the granite escarpment of the Sierra Nevada gives rise to unreal sunsets. And nowhere is this more evident than the hallowed landscape of Yosemite National Park. The long rays of sunlight filtering through the remnants of a spring thunderstorm often end up lighting the sheer granite cliffs, creating a evanescent landscape with different geologic features alternately lighting up and disappearing into the shadows.

And sometimes, that scene would transpire to an Sierra Nevada sunset, where the last fleeting rays set fire to none by the highest peaks, while the valleys below get mired in a deep shadow.

This was one such sunset, captured on an spring evening in May many such years ago during one of the many sojourns to my favorite National Park

Yosemite National Park
CA USA

An Ode to the National Parks

“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere;
the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising.
Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming,
on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.”

- John Muir

It has been over 7 years since I visited this magnificent temple to the mountains, and every time I see this grand vista, I am forever reminded of the courageous spirits that worked hard to preserve this monument.

And so, on this day, I extend my thanks to the people whose tireless work created not just the National Park system, but also inculcated a sense of conservation in our society.

Yosemite National Park
CA USA

Winter Solitude in Yosemite

It has been 4 years since the magical winter weekend under the towering walls of the Yosemite Valley, yet I remember it as though it were yesterday. I remember wandering through the pine forest, the scrunching sounds of snow, ice and pine needles breaking from the solitude of winter in the valley. As I approached the riverbank, I ran into familiar faces from the California photography community, with the clicks from their camera shutters signaling their intent to capture the glorious scene that you see above.

Yosemite National Park holds a special place in my heart, partly because it opened my eyes to wilderness that most people see, but not observe. By spending more time in this National park over multiple seasons than any other, I was able to explore and re-explore some of the innumerable nooks and crannies in every valley, meadow, crag, gorge, and mountaintop that abound in one of the most photogenic sections of the Sierra Nevada. Over this long period of time, it exposed me to the true impact and learnings of life in the outdoors, and to understand and appreciate the rekindling of the spirit that comes about from just spending time outside normal creature comforts.

This image captures the quintessence of what makes that step outside into nature so powerful. I look forward to spending more time reconnecting with the outdoors in Yosemite, as well as the innumerable other National Parks of this land.

Yosemite National Park
CA
USA