photos from our trip last summer to
Yosemite National Park
Showing posts with label yosemite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yosemite. Show all posts
Instax from California
9.23.2011
((Time Turner necklace giveaway winners announced here!))
It's pouring here in New York. It's so gloomy that it's hard to believe a place so sunny and beautiful really exists. Thank goodness for photographs, otherwise I would be sure I imagined the entire experience that was Yosemite.
I want to go back to Yosemite really badly. I can see it becoming one of those places I go back to over and over. I envy the people that live right outside the park entrances. I would buy a yearly pass for sure. Even San Francisco isn't too far. I'd happily live there and drive to Yosemite every weekend. Now if I could just transport everything I like about New York and the east coast out west...
I want to go back to Yosemite really badly. I can see it becoming one of those places I go back to over and over. I envy the people that live right outside the park entrances. I would buy a yearly pass for sure. Even San Francisco isn't too far. I'd happily live there and drive to Yosemite every weekend. Now if I could just transport everything I like about New York and the east coast out west...
Driving & Exploring
8.30.2011
Yosemite National Park / June 22, 2011 & San Francisco / June 22-23, 2011
Our last morning in Yosemite National Park..
Our last morning in Yosemite National Park..
.. then it was off to the city for 24 hours. After a long drive that brought us to an "in 'n out burger" we crossed one of the bridges into foggy downtown San Francisco. We could see the fog hanging low over the city from miles away as we drove through the sunshine- the very hot 100 degree+ sunshine.
Once we got settled into our hotel we explored the area- hopped on the trolly, walked around the fisherman's wharf, and had a beer in a cute little bar. The next morning we woke up bright and early and went to see the Golden Gate Bridge and climbed some of the steep hills that meandered through town.
After enjoying the day outside it was time for our redeye back to New York.
I miss that trip.
100 Things: No. 59
#59: Photograph Star Trails: I've been wanting to photograph star trails for years. I've tried it at home in New York, but there is so much light pollution coming from Manhattan, my town and the surrounding area that you can only make out a handful of stars to begin with. I've brought my camera on trips to Utah, Vermont, and on a road trip out west, but the weather never seemed to want to cooperate with me at night- clouds and a full moon kept getting in the way.
I finally had a brief star trail opportunity this summer in Yosemite. Matt escorted me into the darkness and I setup my camera and tripod and took a few shots at varying lengths of exposure.
I am apparently afraid of the dark. I was freaked out. I come from a land of street lamps and traffic. It was so dark that the only reason I knew Matt was Matt was because he was talking- otherwise he just looked like a dark scary figure standing to my right.
This is my only decent shot from that experience. I'm happy with it.. it has about a million more stars than I could ever see at home. One day I'd like to do a proper exposure- maybe leave the camera on all night. For now my 6 minute exposure will keep me happy.
Have you photographed star trails? I'm sure some of you live in the perfect locations to try it!
I finally had a brief star trail opportunity this summer in Yosemite. Matt escorted me into the darkness and I setup my camera and tripod and took a few shots at varying lengths of exposure.
I am apparently afraid of the dark. I was freaked out. I come from a land of street lamps and traffic. It was so dark that the only reason I knew Matt was Matt was because he was talking- otherwise he just looked like a dark scary figure standing to my right.
This is my only decent shot from that experience. I'm happy with it.. it has about a million more stars than I could ever see at home. One day I'd like to do a proper exposure- maybe leave the camera on all night. For now my 6 minute exposure will keep me happy.
These next 2 shots are from home. I forgot I'd taken them one night during a lunar eclipse back in December. In the first photo a strange ring of light is surrounding the moon. The real thing was even more dramatic. In the 2nd photo the clouds had cleared a bit and the moon was glowing red. I love staying up for these things. During a meteor shower a few years ago and my dad, sister and I stood out on the front lawn at 3am with his telescope watching the streaks of light fall from the sky. Pretty amazing.
a vast edifice of stone and space
8.08.2011
Yosemite National Park / Glacier Point / June 21, 2011
"Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space."
-Ansel Adams
Did you see "The Truman Show," with Jim Carey? It came out in 1998. There's this one part in the movie when he's sailing his boat out on the ocean and ends up hitting a wall that's been painted to look like the ocean and sky. While Matt and I were standing up at Glacier Point I had a feeling that I could put my hand out and tear down the painting that hung around us- it was just too perfectly beautiful to be real.
The one thing that is more amazing than a 360 degree larger-than-life painting put there to fool us is the real thing. And it was breathtaking.
"Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space."
-Ansel Adams
Did you see "The Truman Show," with Jim Carey? It came out in 1998. There's this one part in the movie when he's sailing his boat out on the ocean and ends up hitting a wall that's been painted to look like the ocean and sky. While Matt and I were standing up at Glacier Point I had a feeling that I could put my hand out and tear down the painting that hung around us- it was just too perfectly beautiful to be real.
The one thing that is more amazing than a 360 degree larger-than-life painting put there to fool us is the real thing. And it was breathtaking.
100 Things: no. 63
8.05.2011
Yosemite National Park / Mariposa Grove / June 21, 2011
#63. Hug A Giant Sequoia Tree: While we were in Yosemite back in June, Matt and I spent a day hiking among the Giant Sequoias in Mariposa Grove. The trees in Mariposa are the easiest Sequoias to get to in the park, so as you can imagine the trees closest to the parking lot were very popular. There were fences around those trees protecting them from their thousands of yearly visitors.
As with any trail, the further we got, the fewer people we saw. We didn't have to hike more than a couple of miles before we were completely alone with the trees. These trees were just as tremendous, but far less visited so there were no fences surrounding their roots (which can stretch as far as 100 feet from the trunk.)
We had lunch with one one of the largest trees in the park (who I also hugged) and then posed with this smaller, but still giant beauty.
I miss these trees like I'd miss a friend. They were that amazing.
#63. Hug A Giant Sequoia Tree: While we were in Yosemite back in June, Matt and I spent a day hiking among the Giant Sequoias in Mariposa Grove. The trees in Mariposa are the easiest Sequoias to get to in the park, so as you can imagine the trees closest to the parking lot were very popular. There were fences around those trees protecting them from their thousands of yearly visitors.
As with any trail, the further we got, the fewer people we saw. We didn't have to hike more than a couple of miles before we were completely alone with the trees. These trees were just as tremendous, but far less visited so there were no fences surrounding their roots (which can stretch as far as 100 feet from the trunk.)
We had lunch with one one of the largest trees in the park (who I also hugged) and then posed with this smaller, but still giant beauty.
As Tall as a Tree
7.10.2011
Yosemite National Park / Mariposa Grove / June 21, 2011
We spent our Tuesday in the park getting to know the Giant Sequoias. They were lovely. They've lived through thousands of years and are the largest living things on earth. They did not fail to remind us that we are tiny- in physical size, anyway.
We thought about the people that must have seen Grizzly Giant (now over 200ft tall) when he was just a sapling standing at one foot. We thought about the infant trees that would tower over the earth thousands of years from today and we wondered if their visitors would think of us.
Beautiful, strong and sort of magical. I got the sense that they knew more than they let on.
We spent our Tuesday in the park getting to know the Giant Sequoias. They were lovely. They've lived through thousands of years and are the largest living things on earth. They did not fail to remind us that we are tiny- in physical size, anyway.
We thought about the people that must have seen Grizzly Giant (now over 200ft tall) when he was just a sapling standing at one foot. We thought about the infant trees that would tower over the earth thousands of years from today and we wondered if their visitors would think of us.
Beautiful, strong and sort of magical. I got the sense that they knew more than they let on.
Climbing in Yosemite
7.08.2011
Yosemite National Park / June 20, 2011
One very bright morning, Matt and I went rock climbing. Many climbers call Yosemite the "rock climbing capital of the world," and I feel pretty lucky to have gotten the chance to do some climbing there.
Rock climbing is crazy- for lack of a better word. When you look at a rock face you might think "there is no way I can climb this," but you can. It's amazing how much you can do with just the very tips of your fingers and edges of your feet.. the trick is that you have to believe you can do it. The hardest part for me is trusting my feet since one of my biggest fears is hiking/climbing smooth flat rock.
We climbed all morning and afternoon. We talked to our guide, Mark, about his adventures climbing all over the world and climbing El Cap (in Yosemite) in 12.5 hours (when it takes people an average of 3-5 days to complete.) Matt and I belayed each other which is why I don't really have many photos to share. We had each others' lives in our hands really- that's why I was ok without the camera. Talk about your trust falls.
I prefer climbing outdoors, but I think we're going to try an indoor gym soon since we don't have the luxury of natural granite faces out here on long island. Darn it. I am looking forward to getting Alexi and Dave to take us climbing in CT.. they're my original instructors <3
also.. Happy Friday!
One very bright morning, Matt and I went rock climbing. Many climbers call Yosemite the "rock climbing capital of the world," and I feel pretty lucky to have gotten the chance to do some climbing there.
Rock climbing is crazy- for lack of a better word. When you look at a rock face you might think "there is no way I can climb this," but you can. It's amazing how much you can do with just the very tips of your fingers and edges of your feet.. the trick is that you have to believe you can do it. The hardest part for me is trusting my feet since one of my biggest fears is hiking/climbing smooth flat rock.
I prefer climbing outdoors, but I think we're going to try an indoor gym soon since we don't have the luxury of natural granite faces out here on long island. Darn it. I am looking forward to getting Alexi and Dave to take us climbing in CT.. they're my original instructors <3
also.. Happy Friday!
It Can Be a Challenge to Just... Be
7.06.2011
When I think of a challenge my mind tends to zero in on the physical kind of challenge. I think of hiking, rock climbing, snowboarding, running- activities that I've done and can look back on and say "that was hard/scary/freezing/miserable, but I did it."
I then thought about this photo, and how it is one of my favorites. Matt and I looking out at El Cap and Half Dome. We're just standing there, doesn't seem very challenging now, does it?
In a way it is.
In today's world we are so connected all the time- cell phones, internet, e-mail, facebook, twitter, blogs.. it's become somewhat of a challenge for our generation to just be. Just stand still and soak in the world around you- the world that's going on while we're typing away.
Don't get me wrong- I love typing away. I also think it's important to put down the phone every now and then. We don't want to miss a view like that.
p.s. What photo would you use to describe the word, "challenge?" Link up with Lauren and let us know!
The Cabin in the Woods
7.05.2011
Yosemite National Park / June 18-22, 2011
Every morning in Yosemite we woke up, took a step outside and looked up. How can such a place exist? It's so different than what you see when you look up on the streets of NY, yet geography tells us both places are on the same planet.. the same continent even.
This is why I love to travel.. the town next door, a different state, a foreign country. Everywhere you go there is something to marvel at that probably seems commonplace to the city's own inhabitants. When you travel, see the sights, and venture home your eyes are opened to some of the draw of your own hometown.
I'm constantly making an effort to look at my home town and home city the way a traveler would see it. People travel from all over this world to see Manhattan.. that's an amazing thing. When Matt and I traveled back from California we decided to pretend we were travelers going to visit the amazing island of Manhattan, instead of travelers going home.
These photos make me a little homesick, even though it was only "home" for a few days.
Yosemite, I'll definitely come back to see you.
Every morning in Yosemite we woke up, took a step outside and looked up. How can such a place exist? It's so different than what you see when you look up on the streets of NY, yet geography tells us both places are on the same planet.. the same continent even.
This is why I love to travel.. the town next door, a different state, a foreign country. Everywhere you go there is something to marvel at that probably seems commonplace to the city's own inhabitants. When you travel, see the sights, and venture home your eyes are opened to some of the draw of your own hometown.
I'm constantly making an effort to look at my home town and home city the way a traveler would see it. People travel from all over this world to see Manhattan.. that's an amazing thing. When Matt and I traveled back from California we decided to pretend we were travelers going to visit the amazing island of Manhattan, instead of travelers going home.
Yosemite, I'll definitely come back to see you.
To the Falls
6.30.2011
Yosemite National Park / Yosemite Falls / June 19, 2011
Our "to-do list" in Yosemite was: get outside, find a challenge and see it through... also, don't come back until the evening. It was refreshing to wake up every morning, have a hearty breakfast and head out for a day of being outside and challenging ourselves physically and mentally. That's all we had to worry about.. that and whether we packed enough food and water to last us all day.
I can pretty much sleep as late as I want with no problem (so long as I'm in a bed.) Waking up early is most certainly not my forte and neither is going to sleep early. Well, this holds true in New York anyway. California is another story. I think my body is permanently on west coast time even though I'm in NY 95% of the time and grew up here. At 7am on Sunday morning I practically leapt out of bed ready for the day. (We also passed out well before 11pm.)
5 hours later I was singing a slightly different tune as Matt and I had just finished 3.5 miles of the most strenuous hike I'd ever done, Yosemite Falls. I was still enamored with my surroundings, just slightly more calm about it (due to exhaustion.) We still had 3.5 miles to climb back down from our magical vista, but we spent a good hour marveling over the valley below and the rushing water of Yosemite Falls- the highest waterfall in America (above which we enjoyed our lunch of granola bars and jerky.) Matt and I each drank 70 ounces of water on that hike and would have drank more if there was more.
It wasn't the length of the hike that got me- 7 miles is a pretty average length for us- it was the elevation and the elevation gain. The gain was constant.. there were only about 5 minutes of walking on even ground. Other than that it was uphill on rocky terrain and even sand. I felt like I definitely earned the burger and fries I housed faster than Matt the day before on our way to the park.
Despite the extreme difficulty, or actually- partly because of the extreme difficulty- Yosemite Falls was an amazing hike. The park got a higher-than-average amount of snow this year, so the melting snow created an even stronger-than-average waterfall. We could hear the rushing water crashing below for most of the 5.5 hours that we were on the trail and we saw hawks flying overhead (and below for that matter) and sheer cliffs of granite on all sides.
I think it's quite possible that heaven looks like Yosemite.
Our "to-do list" in Yosemite was: get outside, find a challenge and see it through... also, don't come back until the evening. It was refreshing to wake up every morning, have a hearty breakfast and head out for a day of being outside and challenging ourselves physically and mentally. That's all we had to worry about.. that and whether we packed enough food and water to last us all day.
I can pretty much sleep as late as I want with no problem (so long as I'm in a bed.) Waking up early is most certainly not my forte and neither is going to sleep early. Well, this holds true in New York anyway. California is another story. I think my body is permanently on west coast time even though I'm in NY 95% of the time and grew up here. At 7am on Sunday morning I practically leapt out of bed ready for the day. (We also passed out well before 11pm.)
5 hours later I was singing a slightly different tune as Matt and I had just finished 3.5 miles of the most strenuous hike I'd ever done, Yosemite Falls. I was still enamored with my surroundings, just slightly more calm about it (due to exhaustion.) We still had 3.5 miles to climb back down from our magical vista, but we spent a good hour marveling over the valley below and the rushing water of Yosemite Falls- the highest waterfall in America (above which we enjoyed our lunch of granola bars and jerky.) Matt and I each drank 70 ounces of water on that hike and would have drank more if there was more.
It wasn't the length of the hike that got me- 7 miles is a pretty average length for us- it was the elevation and the elevation gain. The gain was constant.. there were only about 5 minutes of walking on even ground. Other than that it was uphill on rocky terrain and even sand. I felt like I definitely earned the burger and fries I housed faster than Matt the day before on our way to the park.
Despite the extreme difficulty, or actually- partly because of the extreme difficulty- Yosemite Falls was an amazing hike. The park got a higher-than-average amount of snow this year, so the melting snow created an even stronger-than-average waterfall. We could hear the rushing water crashing below for most of the 5.5 hours that we were on the trail and we saw hawks flying overhead (and below for that matter) and sheer cliffs of granite on all sides.
I think it's quite possible that heaven looks like Yosemite.
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