Yosemite, 2010

It's the last year of Kodachrome, so many months ago in my head I made a list of all the places I want to take pictures in one last time. One place I had not been to in many years was there, Yosemite when the falls were going. I thought I had missed them, but a friend had sent me a news report that Yosemite Falls was still going, amazing for this late in the summer. So I assembled my pack and headed out for Yosemite.

After dealing with the task of finding a campsite and the traffic, I finally got my tent set up and was able to settle in. While setting up the tent the smell of the pines was all around me which always reminds me of when my mother introduced me to this magical place. I spent a day down in the valley. The soul is always warmed whenever anyone sees Half Dome and the waters leaping from the heights of the falls; I was glad to be back once again for anothe welcome homecoming.

Over the next few days I made sure to visit places I knew were special to me as well as many new places: the gorgeous valley, the big trees, Tuolumne Meadows, and Hetch Hetchy. I had never been back into Hetch Hetchy before and driving in, seeing the valley, was for me quite emotional. Simultaneously great waves of joy upon seeing the waterfalls, gorgeous granite formations, and such beauty combined with an aching sadness at how willing Man is to destroy such beauty created by God for all for the mere benefit of the few. I am grateful that something still remains at which we can wonder. Enough to still let us stand in rapture and perhaps remember the sin of destroying these things which are holy.

The Photographs

Of course, another final trip with my beloved Kodachrome. I started off in the valley with a roll of KM 25, followed by a PKR 64 at Olmstead Point and up to Lembert Dome, to a roll of KR 64, and then onto two final rolls of PKL 200. It was also my first time in the sequoia groves of Yosemite with a 17mm lens, so I enjoyed the challenge of trying to fully capture some of the big trees. I think no photograph can ever capture the sense of grandeur and peace they convey when you simply stand beside them, in silence.

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