The Giant Sequoia trees of the Sierra Nevadas are the largest trees by volume and the oldest living organisms on the planet.  Some were standing a thousand years before Jesus was born. Just imagine the history that continues to pass the giants by as they continue to stretch into their full height and girth.

Characterized by their colossal trunks, some exceeding 30 feet in diameter, and soaring to heights of over 300 feet, the Giant Sequoias are quite literally giants of fairy tale proportions. 

Within Yosemite, at Mariposa Grove, there is a small, protected sanctuary of about 500 giants. 

The drive to Mariposa was spectacular, as we climbed higher and higher above the Merced River and the Valley below. We hugged the mountainside and drove the windy zig zag road through dappled tree tunnels until we reached Wawona Hotel, stopping at the Visitor Center for another National Park cancellation stamp.

After a quick restroom stop (Henry can hardly believe how often a menopausal woman needs the toilet!!! He says I have the bladder of a hamster!!!) we continued on to Mariposa Grove to walk amongst the giants.

Once there, we took an easy, paved hike stopping to enjoy the Grizzly Giant, the California Tree Tunnel and The Bachelor and The Graces. You can no longer drive through the California Tree Tunnel and our huge Chevvy Silverado truck would never make it through anyway!

Unlike the Sequoia National Park, we could not get close enough to gently hug the feet and toes of the giants and hear the news from the forest by putting our ears close to the trunk and listening to their whispers.  Low wooden fences protected the giants from the passing hikers.

We were all in awe of the tree beasts, their massive torsos and their arms reaching up into the sky, their bearded tree top heads touching the clouds, glimpsing into magic kingdoms.

It is truly humbling to stand in their presence.

I love the ease of taking snapshots with my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I do not own a fancy DSLR camera, I prefer to take lots of quick pics with my phone and then sift through to find one or two reasonably good shots.

At Yosemite, you truly cannot take a bad photo because the scenery is so stunning. I had fun exploring black and white photography in the park, especially using the long exposure facility on my phone to take pics of the waterfalls. It's all part of the creative process for me. At the back of my mind I am always considering documenting the moment for future generations, Henry in particular, but also any future ancestors that might be interested in life in 2023.

I was excited to explore Yosemite through this creative lens and I was looking forward to revisiting the Ansel Adams Museum in Yosemite for further inspiration.

Born in 1902, Ansel Adams' passion for landscape photography led him to the pristine wilderness of Yosemite. His meticulous craftsmanship and dedication to capture the grandeur of the park resulted in his timeless, iconic black and white photographs that celebrate Yosemite's natural beauty.

In the park there is a wonderful little museum celebrating the life and work of Ansel Adams that I remembered visiting back in 2008 on Kim's sabbatical. Prints, postcards and huge framed black and white photographs are absolutely stunning. As you walk in from the beauty of the park, you cannot help but be delighted to see the familiar sights  captured in a photo, taken from the most advantageous angle. The photos tell a story of Yosemite over time. Capturing all four seasons of Yosemite as it lives, breathes and unfurls with life, from the first buds of Spring and the rushing waterfalls in the valley to the snow topped trees and mountains in the depths of Winter, the changing personality of Yosemite in all its miraculous moods.  

In honor of Ansel Adams, here are my best efforts at black and white photography in Yosemite.

All photos are taken with my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

There are only a few places on this beautiful planet that are inextricably linked with a single person, to the point where you cannot even think of one without thinking of the other. They are  energetically entwined and bound with the fine, silky threads of deep respect and utter devotion. Mount Everest and Sir Edmund Hillary, The Lake District and William Wordsworth, Gombe and Dame Jane Goodall, Walden Pond and Henry David Thoreau. For Yosemite, it is the naturalist, John Muir. No one has described the vast beauty of Yosemite, championed for its protection and impressed upon the world the necessity of such a place to reveal the connection between man and nature, like John Muir. 

If you have been to Yosemite, you know that words just cannot do it justice. It is nature's cathedral. It is a place that has to be felt and experienced. A place to bow down in reverence.

So of course, I have to begin with some descriptive words written by John Muir himself to describe this spectacular National Park.

The drive at dawn to the park from our campsite just outside Groveland was twisty and turny with panoramic vistas, sharp drops and skeleton forests burned to the bones, trees like living zombies standing tall, black at the roots and ghostly gray at the tippy tops. In the early morning mist it was a little apocalyptic.

Through the tunnels, then down in to the valley,  we stopped and started to take in the sights of Bridal Veil Falls, the Merced River, the looming gray sentinel that is the fearsome granite El Capitan, the sharp edges of the Three Brothers and then Half Dome, like a huge ship with its stone sail at full mast, sailing down the valley in the distance.

We parked and set off for a short hike to Yosemite Falls. Henry and I had come prepared, wearing our swimsuits, ready for a dip in the icy waters. Because we had arrived so early we were amongst the first to be at the Falls and we had a good hour to ourselves at the pool where the Falls gather in a deep overflowing granite basin before their final tumble down to the valley floor, feeding the lush meadows with fresh water. Our time at Yosemite Falls is already etched in my memory. Henry's huge grin and utter joy of being right there in the moment, in the glorious sunshine, with the spray of the waterfall hitting his face, scrambling over the rocks and taking a dip in the icy pool, was exhilarating. I will remember our time there forever.

Finally, at lunchtime our grumbling tummies dragged us away and back to the truck where we had our picnic lunch near the Visitor Center and of course we got our National Park cancellation stamps.

In the afternoon we hiked out to Half Dome, past the Ahwahnee Hotel, along the Merced River. We tried to spot the intrepid hikers heading up the rounded granite rock to the top on the 18 mile round trip via the Mist Trail, a feat completed by my brother-in-law Simon many moons ago. The long day hike now requires a National Park permit. What an incredible view of the valley there must be from the top! I did watch several YouTube videos of the demanding hike, so I could get a glimpse of the panoramic view. 

Seriously, words cannot express the magnificence of this colossal National Park. I tried with all my might to view it through the eyes of John Muir. I not only wanted to see its timeless beauty but feel that deep soul connection with nature in my core. 

I believe I did.

These photos were taken over several days in the Park.