There’s something soothing and refreshing about being alongside a fast-moving stream. The sound of the water that cascades before you make a perfect place for contemplation and wonder. The formative nature of water carves its beautiful expression of matter between states.
The depths of this gentle canyon are blanketed with chaparral, granite and stone. Within the San Gabriel mountains the Winter gives way to Spring and what comes forth is bountiful and lush vegetation.
Throughout the heights of the San Gabriel Mountains, there are places of off-trail access with careful navigation and planning. There are numerous ridges, peaks, canyons, and valleys that lead you from destination to destination. Along the way, there are unforgettable features that capture the imagination.
The depths of this gentle canyon are blanketed with chaparral, granite, and stone. Within the San Gabriel mountains the Winter gives way to Spring and what comes forth is bountiful and lush vegetation.
While under tree cover, or at lower elevations along the terrain, you can’t really always see your destination. From navigation and planning, you improve the possibility of reaching your prize. Yet the best perspective is to keep in mind that the trip is about the journey and the time to get there. As much as it is about the destination to mark a meaningful achievement. Your wilderness experience is what you make of it.
“The true ownership of the wilderness belongs in the highest degree to those who love it most.” -J. Muir
Sometimes taking the time for full immersion into the forest is all it takes to get your mind clear. To be in the moment and to dwell in the area that is just refreshing. Step by step through the enormous trees that tower before you along the way. To see, touch, and smell them is a unique experience for those who love such places the most.
Nestled up high among remote places are these pockets of wilderness. Both wet and dry again in a short period of time. Where wild creatures of many types thrive and find their place in the foreboding Summer storms that come and go. While natural sources of water, light, oxygen, wood, and vegetation become less available and more sparse, the higher you go. Whereby observation, tree life, and ground cover becomes less dense. Here you can follow the alpine tree line along the lower-elevation perimeter in this hidden valley below Cirque peak.
Sometimes finding your way through an obscure direction takes guesswork. This photo was taken several miles out on a trail that faded in and out along the way. With enough persistence and curiosity, the effort can completely pay off without having to turn back or check the maps. You just have to pay attention to what the forest and wilderness are telling you.
Sometimes you can find the best light in the most inconspicuous places. Where the light’s direction is going, where it reflects or spreads, and how it applies color from its spectrum makes for some of the best impressions made. Knowing how to find the best light quality and knowing when it appears increases the likelihood of what drama or beauty you’ll see. Regardless of your physical location.
The character and reach of the Sequoia really make the forest by how they stand in their prominence. It is not enough to merely witness them in their stature but to feel and experience their being by all your senses. By sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
There is a mystery and wonder about finding places where you can see a far open valley. Great distances of natural terrain give a perspective about not only what is before you, but also what is behind you as well. Here in his photo is the Eastern slope of the Sierra near Cottonwood pass.
Simple yet engineered and well-crafted structures are easy to miss while exploring or traveling to your wilderness destination. Sometimes though it is worthwhile to just pull off to the side of the road and just enjoy where you are. The more hidden and less obvious structures are on the trail itself.
© 2024 James Austin. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by WordPress. Designed by 
