High Sierras

National Parks

Yosemite National Park Part 1: In the footsteps of Ansel Adams


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Reviewers frequently characterize [Ansel] Adams as a photographer of an idealized wilderness that no longer exists. On the contrary, the places that Adams photographed are, with few exceptions, precisely those wilderness and park areas that have been preserved for all time. There is a vast amount of true and truly protected wilderness in America, much of it saved because of the efforts of Adams and his colleagues. – Ansel Adams Biography by William Turnage, Oxford University Press

A few years ago Ryan and I went to an Ansel Adams exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum.  At the time, Ryan didn’t even know who Ansel Adams was, and was not familiar with his photography.  I had taken photography in high school so I remembered learning about Adams and knew he was well known for his black and white portraits.  Walking around the museum admiring the photographs, it never occurred to me that I could actually travel to and see the locations that Adams immortalized. (more…)

National Parks

Kings Canyon National Park


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Another short visit, similar to Sequoia, makes me want to come back…

That was how Ryan’s journal entry about our time in Kings Canyon started. He went on to recall the sites we saw and what we did while we were there, but ended the short entry with the same sentiment.

Most of the park is wilderness so I hope to come back and do some backpacking to really enjoy what this park has to offer.

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