Yosemite National Park was established on October 1, 1890. It’s roughly the size of the state of Rhode Island at 747,956 acres, and almost 95% of the parks land is designated wilderness. Perhaps the most famous part of all that vast acreage is Yosemite Valley, which is widely considered the heart and soul of Yosemite National Park. The walls of the valley rise between 3,000 feet and 4,000 feet straight up from the valley floor, creating a cathedral in nature unlike almost any other place on earth. The valley itself is a glacially carved u-shaped valley in a glacial canyon. It may only be roughly 7 miles long by 1 mile wide, but the many of the parks most famous views and formations reside here. It’s here that Yosemite Falls makes it 2,425 foot drop over the granite cliffs and down to the valley below. El Capitan is here, the Merced River flows through the valley floor here. It’s here where Cathedral Rocks rises over 2,500 feet above the valley floor, as Bridalveil Fall drops 620 feet into the valley below.
Yosemite Valley has long been one of my favorite places on Earth. I grew up hearing my father talk about Ansel Adams photography in Yosemite, and as a result I was exposed to wonderful black and white photography work at a young age. My father would talk to me for hours about Adams and John Muir, and we’d spend countless hours looking at his photos in any manner we could find. I had a love and reverence for Yosemite long before I ever laid eyes on this place. I still remember the first time I saw a sign for Yosemite, driving down 99 in California somewhere near Fresno. There it was: a green Yosemite National Park exit sign. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. A quick trip later through Oakhurst to Mariposa, and the next day I’d lay eyes on this place for the first time. From that moment on, I would literally spend a lifetime returning to this magical place.
Yosemite National Park and Yosemite Valley are a thin place, one of those places that blur the lines between Heaven and Earth. My love for Yosemite would continue to grow every time I returned. I suppose it’s only natural that as I found myself in a career as a Professional Fine Art Landscape Photographer, Yosemite and Yosemite Valley would become one of my most photographed subjects. The view from Valley View (also known as Gates of the Valley) feels reminiscent of the gates of Heaven, especially on a cold autumn or winter evening when fog rises up from the valley floor. Tunnel View is another place which evokes the same sense of emotion, and there is nothing quite like seeing the valley open up below El Capitan and Cathedral Rocks as Half Dome rises up in the background and Bridalveil Fall tumbles towards the valley below. Add in fog weaving its way through the valley below and you’re suddenly not sure if you’re on Earth or standing at the edge of heaven.
Even just walking along the Merced River and hiking around the valley floor feels like a trip to heaven. One of the most magical scenes I’ve ever experienced in my career was fog rising from the valley floor near Swinging Bridge and Leidig Meadow as Yosemite Falls tumbled over the cliffs and down into the valley below. It may have been a brief moment in time, but it’s a moment forever frozen and I can still take myself back there anytime I close my eyes.
I’ve spent a lot of time experiencing the wonders of nature over the course of my life and my career, and I’ve seen a lot of beautiful sights. But no matter how many times I’ve been here, returning to Yosemite always feels like returning home. The peace and serenity I feel when I’m here is unmatched almost anywhere else. When the clouds are just right and the fog rolls in, the sunsets and sunrises here resemble something out of a dream. It’s easy to see way John Muir spent a lifetime protecting this wondrous place. Yosemite has inspired countless generations of people, and there no doubt it will continue to do so thanks to the work of John Muir, Stephan Mather, Ansel Adams and countless others. I’m truly honored to be able to continue that tradition of providing inspiration to others, and to spend so much of my life and career wandering around this magical granite cathedral or rock and light.
Tolkien was right when he wrote “not all those who wander are lost.” I’ve never felt more at home than I do when I’m surrounded by the walls of the granite cathedral that is Yosemite Valley, wandering amongst its enchantment. It’s a place too perfect for this world, it’s an inspiration and it always seems to heal your soul and bring peace no matter what ails you. Returning to Yosemite will always feel like returning home. I hope that everyone who views my Fine Art Yosemite Photography and Fine Art Yosemite Valley Photography galleries comes away with the same feelings of inspiration, peace, serenity and wonder I’ve always felt here. Yosemite has spent a lifetime inspiring me, and I hope it inspires you as well.
