Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada were our next destination following a wonderful visit to the lower Cascades and Lassen Volcanic. 

We spent much of the day driving along with one stop for groceries. It was fortunate we were arriving on a Sunday evening. This is one of the best times to enter the park and avoid 2 to 4 hour waits at the entry gate! We cruised in through the Big Oak Flat Entrance, after which it’s only a stone’s throw to Hodgdon Meadow where our campsite awaited! Or so we thought.

We entered the campground and drove by our site. Notice I said “by” our site not “to” our site. After driving around the camp loop multiple times, getting out of the van and walking to the site,  and ultimately having a discussion with the camp hosts, we learned the site we booked for our camper was, in fact, not reachable by any type of motor vehicle. Yet, I held in my hand a reservation which clearly stated this site handled RVs up to 18’ in length. Turns out they made a mistake on their website reservation system. Because the campground was at 100% capacity there were no other sites. The solution? We wiggled our camper into a very unfun spot in a parking lot and spent the duration of our visit there. The worst part? Nobody at the park seemed to care even as we explained our circumstance to multiple camp employees over the next few days. The lack of empathy was disappointing. Travel brings adversity in unexpected forms, and you’ve got to roll with it. We were still very excited to be in Yosemite!

This year’s snowpack meant water would be flowing during the mid-summer at an incredibly high volume. The Merced River was treacherous and beautiful. Yosemite Falls, which is normally a wispy trickle in July, instead moved with the force of a titan! As we drove down to the valley early the next morning and these beautiful, familiar sites came into view I felt tears starting to well in my eyes. It’s been 16 years since my last visit here. Back then my 3 sons were just 3, 4, and 9 years old. Now it was only my youngest, at 19, sleeping in the back of our van as we wound our way around switchbacks and through tunnels. 

My wife also had her eyes closed as she sat next to me. I imagined the other seats of our van were occupied with the spirits of John Muire and Ansel Adams. They whispered to me as I continued on. “Welcome back Paul”, they said. “We’ve been waiting a long time for your return. Let’s go for some walks together and explore one of God’s greatest cathedrals, eh?” I also thought of my Dad as if he were with me too. He’d never seen Yosemite when he was alive but perhaps he could enjoy it now with me. Gosh I miss him. On I drove with these thoughts swimming through my head and these emotions running through my soul. 

Current conditions in the park presented a double-edged sword, so-to-speak. Yosemite is already an incredibly busy park, especially in the summer season. These incredible water displays, fueled by the melt, drew larger crowds than normal. The heavy snow and aftermath of winter also left much of the park closed. So, we basically had twice as many people in half the space. We would miss some iconic visits to places like Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, and Tuolumne Meadow because the roads were closed. Yet, the places that were open, despite crowds, would be sites to behold!

Ah Yosmite! How to approach you as a photographer? Few places on earth are as beautiful, wonderous, and amazing. Few places on earth have been photographed so many times by so many people. Which photos are cliché? And do I care? This type of thinking had me very confused in my early days as a photographer. Luckily, I solved this problem years ago and now have enough confidence in my own style (which is, of course, always evolving) to dare enter such a sacred place with camera in-hand. In some future post I’ll have to dive back into those years when I created an exercise to lose the constant thought of “should I take this photo, or has it been done before?” every time I ventured out for a photography session. But I digress. Here was Yosemite and I was ready, as a husband and father on vacation, as a human being connecting with mother earth, and as a photographer.After finding a parking spot (not many of them left just after sunrise), we walked to Yosemite Falls. A refection of the falls seen in a shallow, temporary pool of water flooding a grassy field caught my attention. The contrast difference between the actual scene and its reflection was wide. With some careful filtration using a few graduated filters, I was able to control the dynamic range and make a good photograph. Sometimes it helps to get that first one (photo) in the can when starting a new adventure.

Yosemite Falls and its reflection. Taken with Cambo Actus, Mamiya G 50mm lens, and prototype Epoch tripod.

We walked to the lower portion of Yosemite Falls, basked in the spray, and tasted a bit of it as our jaws hung open with pure awe. Our expressions were prayers to the creator, prayers of thanks for this place, this moment, this beauty. I took no meaningful photographs here, yet my heart swelled with joy.

After gawking at the lower falls we walked back a little bit towards where we had started while morning mist and clouds swirled in the sky creating a movement to the early light. It was like a visual symphony playing out all around us and moving with us, and through us. As we proceeded, another scene of immense granite cliffs appealed to me. I set up my camera and watched the movement of the elements (light, clouds, and mist) until the highlights on the cliff face glowed and the sky took on a color that seemed impossible. “Click”!

Yosemite – granite cliffs in morning light. Taken with Cambo Actus, Pentax 645 75mm f2.8 FA lens, and prototype Epoch tripod.

We had 3 more days in Yosemite. It was a terrific time together. We drove, we hiked, we enjoyed ranger lead programs, and we spent time together as a family. In all that time it might seem surprising I only took one more meaningful photograph. I say “meaningful” as an artist. Yet we took many fantastic family photos which, if I must be honest, have even greater meaning to me personally. As they should. I’ll share the story of this one, other creative photo taken at mirror lake in my next post.