This was one of the most torturous climbs I had ever done, partly due to the fact that it was a fourteener and I hadn't really acclimatized, and partly because I was climbing up in snow which caused traction issues. I still remember reserving all my stamina for the final push to the summit just so that I could have this panoramic view of this amazing mountainscape. Snow-capped peaks towered above the undulating landscape in all directions on this blue-bird day, the last of a rare weeklong stint of sun in the Rockies
White River National Forest
OR USA
A National Park Journey - Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park was just a hop skip and jump from Redwood, relative to the overall distance we were driving. Having arrived at Crater lake with very little driving experience, I remember being afraid of even driving along the curvy rim road that winds around the massive crater. But my fear vanished as soon as I got the first sight of the massive crater.
For a big city kid, seeing a pristine lake as large as this, with a deep blue color quite unlike anything I had seen before, was a life-changing experience. I had never experienced anything of such scale, let alone a volcano whose crater had a 33-mile rim. That, coupled with the stark alpine scenery of the surrounding Cascades, made for an unforgettable first visit.
My second trip to this park was more than 16 years later in less than ideal weather conditions, but it was enough to spark the joy of being in this very unique National Park. This particular image, however, is one of my first attempts at a panorama from my first visit.
Crater Lake National Park
OR USA
The Monuments
It was not my first rodeo at Monument valley. But I still got the chills looking at these towering buttes and mesas rising above the vast dry desert floor of the Colorado Plateau. And on this particular day, a transient sandstorm created a layer of haze around the shale skirts of the buttes and exaggerated the vast wild West atmosphere exuded by the Valley of the Rocks.
The park is still closed, and that prevented us from getting up close and personal with these monuments. But they still held their beauty from afar.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
AZ USA
Pano over the Canyon
The dry desertscape of Utah seem a far cry from the vibrant rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, but present a landscape with a refreshing palette of colors. Vast swathes of the Colorado and Green River basin near Moab expose sandstone buried from the Jurassic period and rich in iron oxides, exhibiting this characteristic red color. And in the amber hues and slanted rays of sunrise and sunset, one can really experience the incredible and diverse features of this landscape, from towering mesas silhouetted in sunlight to tiered gorges that evolve from tiny gullies to a vast rocky canyon.
I tried to capture the essence of this landscape at a sunset vista from an overlook in Canyonland's Island in the Sky district. From this viewpoint, once can spy the fingers carved into the undulating sandstone by the seasonal tributaries of the Green River, and its confluence with the mighty Colorado further south. The west-facing walls catch the last light of the day, with deep shadows highlighting the stark differences in terrain. This part of Canyonlands is replete with plenty of these viewpoints, offering a glimpse into the diverse landscape and into the storeyed geological history of the North American continent.
Canyonlands National Park
UT USA
The Salton Sunrise
At 4 in the morning, I was still dazed in my hotel bed, wondering where I ought to be for sunrise at Joshua Tree National Park. As I gathered my senses, I started scouting the nearby locations, completely unaware of the conditions the sky would present. As I headed to the park, I kept peering into the horizon, hoping for a clue of where I ought to be to capture the magic of sunrise. In the end, I headed up to a viewpoint where I got a glimpse of the distant Salton Sea, one of the largest inland seas of the continent.
As the sky slowly transformed into the colors of dawn, the edges of the high clouds changed to a deep shade of pink, which reflected faintly on the vast surface of the sea. Surrounding this sea was the vast inland desert of California and Arizona, dominated by the distant blue mountains that were still in shadows early in the morning. I waited a bit, hoping for this vast landscape to light up, but before that could come to fruition, the sun promptly disappeared behind a large bank of clouds, dashing any hopes of a bright sunrise. Nevertheless, I tried to capture the vastness in scale of this unique vista of Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
CA USA
From Earth to Sky
The recent news of the turmoil in Kyrgyztan, a land-locked country in the heart of Central Asia, nestled in by the towering Tien Shan mountains, was heartbreaking. Protests and riots have erupted around the ongoing political unrest regarding the elections. This crisis, coupled with the economic impacts from the pandemic, has proved to be devastating for this nation.
It feels like a different era compared to the time I visited the beautiful countryside inhabited by nomadic herders and sparsely populated towns and villages. I still remember standing in awe admiring the snow-capped peaks of the Tien Shan range reaching for the azure skies.
I do hope that, for the sake of the amazing people I met in Kyrgyzstan, that things return to normalcy.
Arslanbob
Kyrgyzstan
Lost in Granite
In the summer of 2015, I had embarked on one of my most challenging backpacks in the Eastern Sierras, on a 55-mi route that wound through the Evolution and Dusy basins. Granite escarpments ringed by towering alpine peaks surround a broad basin filled with glistening lakes. Set in a remote region of the John Muir Wilderness, these places are a haven for landscape photography.
I tried to capture in this panorama what it really is like to be immersed in such a rugged landscape. But nothing can replicate the feeling of really being lost in the granite.
Kings Canyon National Park
CA USA
After the Storm
I was not expecting to see this that day. I was not even expecting to make it out alive .
.
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It was barely an hour earlier when I left the safety of the rifugio in the French alps under moody skies. The wind was picking up, but nothing to deter from hiking. A couple of far-away lightning strikes signaled an approaching storm. A light drizzle started, that turned to a torrential downpour in a matter of minutes. And the strikes came nearer and more frequent, the accompanying thunder reverberating across the entire valley.
I passed a couple of hikers coming the other way, and they urged me to turn around. I wish I had heeded their advice. For what lay ahead of me was a vast open stretch of trail in rocky terrain with nary a protective zone. And I was in the heart of the storm.
The gale-force winds gripped my tangled poncho, eager to yank away my only barrier to the rain. I held on, fighting the wind and the rain, slowly trudging forward. I had given up all hope of seeing the light after a storm; my only focus was on taking the next step.
And without warning, the clouds parted, the sun shone, and I was treated to dramatic view of the glacier-capped slopes of Mont Blanc.
Courmayeur
Italy
Oh Garibaldi
The thought ran in my mind on the seemingly endless rocky ascent. In the distance, I spied the summit, people like ants. The gentle sun sprayed warmth, while the draft from a nearby glacier spattered cool air. The trail disappeared into a rockfall, with nary a cairn to mark the way up.
It became steeper near what I thought was the end, but just like every black cloud has a silver lining, every steep ascent ends with remarkable views, like this one of Garibaldi Lake just outside Whistler.
Garibaldi Provincial Park
BC Canada
Bird's Eye Switzerland
Seven days of hiking up and down the mountains of the French Alps went without the occurrence of a single injury. And a mere 10 minutes after taking the historic cogweel to this magnificent vista near the town of Montreaux, I twisted my ankle while daydreaming and walking around. Cursing myself, I limped up to this ridgeline to capture this expansive view of the eastern terminus of Lac Leman .
Moral of the story: if you want to twist your ankle, wait until you finish your vacation so you can "work from home".
Rochers de Naye
Switzerland