20110813-Tuolumne_River_Yosemite_NP-016Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park There's a long back story to how I happen to have photos of some really beautiful and interesting places: places in the wilderness that you can only see by getting there on your own two feet.  I'll get into that story in future posts.  For now, I'll just say that it wasn't always this way for me.  The most I ever used to see of nature was what I saw in magazines or on TV.  Then, one fine day I was asked to join friends on a hike in the woods and that was the start of a whole new lifetime passion for me. 
 

Now, I know people who have hiked and been outdoorsy their whole lives and to them, my hat is off.  For me, over 40 and overweight at the time, it took a ton of effort and courage to get up off the couch and get out there.  I think it's a good thing though: the discovery of my passion later in life helped give it increased impact and greater importance to me.  Basically, I realized what I had been missing because of my "seasoned" perspective. 
 

I love sharing what I see and experience with others! Some people have been inspired by my photos and stories enough to seek these places on their own.  Others, who can't (or won't) for one reason or another, have expressed thanks for my giving them a window to look through. I hope this website makes that window, and maybe even that inspiration, available to even more folks.
 

The photo in this post is of the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park.  I took this while on a multi-day backpacking trip with a group of friends.  This shot is about two miles southeast of Glen Aulin High Sierra Camp on the Pacific Crest Trail.  Our ultimate destination was a lake off the beaten path, Mattie Lake. The views around every turn of this trip were magnificent.