I just got back a few days ago from a week away in Yosemite and out to Shuteye Ridge for a birthday camping and climbing trip. It was so nice to spend time out at Shuteye, one of my favorite places ever. My friend Ryan and I stayed out there for a few days and had a huge moon the whole time with perfect fall temps as well. We climbed every day and hiked around exploring new areas as well. Sat by a fire one night, got some good reading in, and had a great re connection with nature. A total dream. I’ve also been trying to get out and find fall color as much as possible and it has been beautiful, but it comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Just this afternoon I went up to the Aspens up Bishop Creek and they’re almost all bare already. Just like that. I guess it makes that brief time of splendid color that much more special. I hope you are enjoying fall as well and that your days are filled with smiles.

I had an incredible shoot a few weeks ago with my dear friend Kelley at Tenaya Lake in Yosemite’s high country, Tuolumne Meadows. We met early for first light and it was absolutely stunning. Kelley and I have shot yoga lots through the years, but hadn’t shot together in a while since my business got so busy when I incorporated weddings into the mix that I haven’t been shooting as much outdoor lifestyle. Well this shoot really opened my eyes to the fact that I really need to get back to my roots. I LOVE shooting the outdoor lifestyle and LIVING the outdoor lifestyle, and admittedly I haven’t been out nearly as much as I would like in the last few years as I’ve focused so hard on growing my business. But the tides have turned and as business keeps getting better, my life is making its way back to me. I couldn’t be more excited to share these images of a dear friend embodying the beauty of Yosemite and being outside, and for helping be a catalyst in the ongoing journey of me finding my way back to myself through compassion and understanding of others, and remembering the importance of choosing Love over fear.

I had another awesome little trip up to Tuolumne last week. Its been so nice getting to spend some more time up there this year after hardly getting any time up there last year.  It truly is one of the most beautiul paces on earth, and feels like home to my heart like no other place.  I’m really getting inspired about my nature work again, and want to spend as much time as I can in Yosemite, Tuolumne, and the High Sierra mountains this year soaking up their goodness and hopefully bringing back images to share that love with you.

Hope you’re having a wonderful day,

My friend Kevin loves to paint by the river, and I love to accompany him to beautiful places in nature and just be, or walk around, listen to the birds, go swimming, play guitar, whatever; but I always love capturing images of him creating art.  He has a special energy that comes through in his art.  Its very alive. You should definitely check his work out.

One day we hiked up to find this lake Kevin had seen on a map under the east face of Johnson Peak.  It looked like we might get some afternoon thundershowers, so we made sure to bring our Gore Tex jackets; not something us Sierra minimalists used to dreamy Sierra weather often bring.  After almost 2 hours of hiking we found the lake!  It’s so beautiful up there and was perched up in this high basin that had great views all around, but as you can see the clouds were starting to build.

That lit up rock pillar way out in the distance is something we refer to as Minas Tirith.  A super cool prow in a remote basin where Kevin did a rad sculpture last year.

We looked in all directions and rather quickly the thunderheads were starting to build all around us.  And then we heard the first big BOOM!!!  We were up pretty high with no cover and lots of granite all around us.

We decided it was really time to high tail it and get out of there as the thunder and lightening started pounding.  So we started running thinking it was coming from the south and we might be able to outrun it.

Our hearts were pumpin pretty good as we raced down this long meadow filled corridor of granite.  Kevin’s look says it all on how we were feeling; WHOOOOA, this is gonna be a dusy!!!!!

So we kept running trying to get to lower elevations off the ridge top.

But a beautiful field of Lupines sure has a way of making a couple of artists stop dead in their tracks and commence shooting pictures, even with pure blackness at their backs.

As we were having fun taking pictures in the lupines, the storm was building behind us and little did we know what we in store for.

Right after this last picture it started raining so hard I had to put the camera away.  We ran/speed hiked till we were off the high plateau and into the trees, and the thunder and lightening was pounding all around us.  Its the first time in years I’ve gotten caught out in a storm like that, and there was a part of me that was definitely scared, even though I genuinely felt in my heart that everything would be alright.  After an hour and a half of hiking in the all out pouring rain and hail with thunder and lightening all around us, we made it back safely, albeit soaking wet like we had jumped in the river with all our clothes on. What an adventure!!!

The next day Kevin was back enjoying one if his favorite past times, painting by the river.

I love his river paintings.

One day I went down into Tenaya Canyon to these awesome granite bowls where the river flows down in these beautiful cascades. I absolutely love this area.

I ran into my good friend Doug Robinson again and this time he was on his way to the Palisades with his kids and some friends. They stopped in Tuolumne for a little climbing and bouldering and it was fun to hang out with them. Here’s Doug and his son Tory bouldering on perfect Tuolumne amazingness.  Tory’s a great climber!!

Must take after his dad.

Got to go on a new hike down Yosemite Creek that was gorgeous.  Ever wandered what it looks like looking down the world’s 3rd tallest waterfall?

I also got to hang out with a really cool family that I know from working in Tuolumne for years. I hiked out to the top of Yosemite Falls with them one day, and we shared a nice sunset this evening.

Gotta love Tuolumne.  I sure do.  The simple life in nature’s grand beauty.

Last week when I was over in Yosemite my friend Graham and I decided to hike up to one of my favorites places, Hidden Falls. Its a beautiful hike up Tenya Creek, and one of my favorite places in Yosemite to hang and for photography. Graham had never been there before, and I always love sharing my favorite off the beaten path with others, so it was especially fun.

A few days later two of my dearest friends came back into town, Kevin and Ashlee. They just spent close to 4 months in India and Nepal and have now arrived back into the marvelous Sierra Nevada for another fun filled amazing summer in Tuolumne Meadows. Kevin is one of my longest standing friends. We’ve been friends since just after high school back in Maryland, and its so awesome that he comes and spends a good part of the year every year in California. He’s a very inspiring traveling artist who I love sharing time and adventures with. They stayed with me a few days and then we went up to Tuolumne. Our first night up there we hiked to the top of Lamb Dome and caught and amazing sunset.

Kevin did a rad watercolor.

I LOVE this next shot!!

The next day I met up with my great friends Sean Jones and Graham Hunt. Sean’s been dreaming of a new route potential over Tenya Lake for years so they went to explore and check it out.

I also met up with another good friend and Sierra legend Doug Robinson. Here he is with some of his friends after a great trip in the Palisades. They stopped in Tuolumne on their way back to the coast and we all serendipitously happened upon each other. Sean and Doug and I have worked on 3 feature articles together, yet its rare we get to just hang out and have fun in the mountains. We actually got Doug to detour his trip home and come join us for a real mountain adventure a couple days later. More on that in a blog post later this week.

The route Sean wanted to check out looks amazing!!! Looks hard, maybe too hard for him, but only time will tell if it’ll be climbable.

The Tuolumne River was sure looking spectacular. It has such a special place in my heart after sleeping right next to it for 11 summers, and I love to just go sit down by the river and Be.

Doug, Sean, Graham, and I went on an awesome mountain adventure a few days later that I’ll be sharing here real soon, so check back!

Hope you’re well,

Last week was an exciting time for Logan and Lucas Smith, it was there first trip to Yosemite! Charmaine and Brian were so excited to see their little boys experiencing Yosemite for their first time. Wow, what a lasting impression it must leave to be in such beauty so early in life; to feel nature’s splendor and grand presence is very profound, and Yosemite is like no other.

It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the nice morning strolling along the meadow and down by the river. It was great to see the boys get so stoked to check things out and play. The whole family was up for a week, and the waterfalls were raging and Yosemite was alive in its full spring majesty.

I really enjoyed spending some time with you Charmaine, Brian, Logan, and Lucas. I hope the rest of your Yosemite trip was spectacular. You came at such a great time. Enjoy the pictures!

Home is such a special place. A place to be able to put love and energy into and hopefully enjoy being at, for most people spend a fair amount of time at home. Home is especially important for someone like me who works at home, for it to be a nice environment to keep me motivated and feeling good.

I absolutely Love where I live and am so thankful everyday that this is where I call Home! It’s this amazing Oasis in the desert created by the runoff from the mountains, and it just blows my mind that this neighborhood is so lush, and yet as soon as you get outside of the neighborhood, its pretty much a barren, sage brush, lunar style, desert landscape.

Crazy that we’re completely surrounded by open desert, and yet in our Oasis there’s a pond out front with lots of other ponds in the neighborhood, with almost every property having a creek or two, and just a general greenness and lushness not normally associated with the desert.

This is the front of my quant little cottage that I rent. There’s 7 other cabin/cottages that are all in this area thats a park like setting, and we’re all friends and share common interests so its super cool.

A few weeks ago my next door neighbors and good friends Eric, Caroline, and I decided to completely overhaul our backyards and make one open shared beautiful lawn for us to enjoy. I wish I would of taken some before pictures because it wasn’t pretty, but a completely weed infested and overgrown jungle of gnarliness. But many hours of hard work and camaraderie yielded a gorgeous shared lawn that we’re so excited about!!

And yes that is a trampoline over there, and yes it does lead to hours of fun!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’re well,