Ansel Adams Wilderness Area, Eastern Sierra Nevada [AAW18]
"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." -- Ansel Adams
The Ansel Adams Wilderness Area has existed for 51 years as a wilderness area but only for 31 years as an homage to a spectacular artist and devoted environmentalist. After Ansel Adams' death in 1984 the area received his name. The level of hubris, or blatant stupidity, required to post photographs of this area is hard to measure. Taking a picture of the Sierra Nevada and displaying it can only lead to comparisons, at least in the photographers mind, of the wonderful photographs Adams made in the Sierra throughout his lifetime. Or at least I used to think that.
I recently saw an exhibition of Adams' photographs documenting a trip into the Yosemite backcountry he took with Georgia O'Keeffe and some rich industrialist benefactors in the 1930s. Looking beyond the quaintness of the hobnailed boots and the box of 'Bisquick' in the camp kitchen photos - and deflecting my awe of the landscapes, the awesome lighting, the perfection of the photographs - I found the middle ground of a person totally consumed by the beauty of the Sierra and the joy he must have felt talking those photographs. Hanging out with friends. Being in those places. Just breathing that air.
The photographs were of course all printed by Adams. They were compiled in a hand-made, leather-bound photo album of which he assembled multiple copies to distribute to those on the trip. I suppose as a token of appreciation. Here was a person who simply loved the mountains so intensely that he just wanted to voice that feeling through the medium he loved - photography.
Adams was also a bit of a sage. The above quote reveals someone who became intensely aware of the life he was living. Who maintained an outlook of wonder in life. No doubt he, at least on occasion washed out his coffee cup in a cold clear mountain stream, examining the rock in the streamed, seeing the light reflecting from the waters surface, watching the reflections waver as the stream rippled. That would be an exploration converted from an ordinary experience. Those are the moments that make a trip into the sierra sublime.
It is an idea that I will try to carry forward: Let each experience be an exploration. My memories of my first brief exploration of the Sierra Nevada (as a 7-year old riding in the family Dodge) include a drive along Hetch Hetchy reservoir, cruising around Yosemite Valley, walking a few short trails, and spending the night in the lodge (you could do that in the 1960s, just drive up and get a room) where we could hear - even feel - the thundering of Yosemite falls. But my first in-depth exploration of the Sierra Nevada backcountry did not occur until much later.
First, a bit on nomenclature. Sierra Nevada is Spanish for "snow covered mountain range." Therefore, the phrases "Sierra Nevada mountains" or "Sierra Nevada range" are redundantly redundant. So to speak. I'll just keep it simple and accurate by calling them the Sierra Nevada. I'll use sierra (lower case) as what it is, another word mountain(s).
We began our weeklong trip at the Silver Lake trailhead. The route climbs steadily from the low foothills all the way to alpine ridges. We did not make it to the ridge crest the first day. As expected, the first day always contains delays. Driving to the trailhead. Packing and repacking the backpacks. Then of course, there is the sudden realization (it should not be unexpected but it is always a little surprising) that I have not carried such a load on such a climb yet this year. Moving slow, resting more that one really planned, taking a longer lunch break, etc. The daylight starts to fade and we make camp perfectly placed equidistant from a lake and the trail - just outside the distance limits from each as required by wilderness regulations. As we finish our bean burritos, the sun sets on my first day in the Sierra backcountry.
Sierra Sunset, Ansel Adams Wilderness Area, Sierra Nevada [Yes, sunset. Any reference you may have seen that this image was taken a sunrise are incorrect.]
Sunset in the Sierra Nevada - barren "granite" bedrock, a smattering of trees, low angle light, dramatic clouds. All the necessities for a moment or two of awe. That is what I came for. That is what I got on the first night.
The next morning we head toward the ridge crest and the High Sierra. By mid morning we find a nice camp site, set up the tents and pack a lunch and some water in our daypacks then walk up to and over the pass for a bit of exploration.
Trail to Donahue Pass, Ansel Adams Wilderness Area, Sierra Nevada
The air is dry and the sun is warm. Only a hint of a breeze. We have a generally pleasing experience as we explore the mountains. We cross into Yosemite National Park, as attested by no other signs except a wooden sign.
Toulemne Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Sierra Nevada.
We walk up into the basin below Mt. Lyell and Lyell glacier. Naming a massive granitic mountain after a geologist is always a good idea.
My Lyell and Lyell Glacier
Walking back toward the pass one starts to get a feel of the scale of the Sierra Nevada. Such a famous place that is typically considered crowded even in the backcountry. We only see a couple of hikers the entire day - and only on the trail. We spent most of the day exploring off the beaten path.
The scale of the Sierra Nevada.
As we cross the pass walking back to camp, once again the scale of the Sierra is impressive.
The beaten path.
We move camp the next day and head up a little higher to continue the exploration.
Sierra reflections.
In the upper basin we encounter snow, water, rock, cool still air. Silence except for the sounds of flowing water and my breath.
Rock. Snow. Water. Air.
We walk back down to Marie Lakes basin and the warm sunny afternoon calls for a bit of R&R. The sun is intense, the air is clear and dry and after three days of sweating I decide that it is time to do a bit of laundry. I could use a rinse myself. So a quick dip in my crusty clothes into an icy lake is just the ticket.
With the larger chunks of crust rinsed from clothes and body, I spend the next couple of hours drying off and dozing on a warm rock in the beautiful Sierra sunshine.
The next day we head over the Thousand Island Lake basin and find a cozy campsite near Banner Peak. After setting up camp, we spend the late afternoon soaking up the view and getting ready for some more spectacular star gazing as soon as the sun sets.
Campsite near Banner Peak, Ansel Adams Wilderness Area, Sierra Nevada. Photo credit T. Ramsden.
I had a very strange encounter in the middle of the night. I was awakened by the sound of a helicopter flying up the valley. It was moving fairly slowly with its search light spanning from right to left. They flew over the pass and I could hear it in the next valley. They returned and with widening circles continued searching the basin where we were camped. I could not decide if i should hide or throw rocks so I just sat up in my tent and watched the show. Since rain was not likely I had not put the rain fly up so I could easily see, and be seen, through the mosquito netting. The searchlight finally swept over me and the chopper swung around for a better look. They were hovering about 300 ft above and a little south of me and blinding me with the spot light. I held my arms up in an exaggerated shrug and mouthed, "What the hell?" They must have been excellent lip readers because the helicopter then swung hard right and dropped below a small ridge. They kept searching for quite some time and I finally fell back to sleep.
The next morning with spotlight afterimages burned into my retinas and the whine of helicopter blades echoing in my ears, we climbed up to the pass just below Banner Peak for some more spectacular views of the High Sierra.
The High Sierra. Photo credit T. Ramsden.
Our final day of exploration lead us over a ridge south of Garnet Lake. On the way we encountered a grove of paintbrush in full bloom.
Grove of paintbrush. Photo credit T. Ramsden
After setting up camp, we walked up the ridge to this spectacular scene.
The final exploration of the trip was from this vantage point where I sat alone for a couple of hours on the last day before we walked back out to "syphilization." It was my exploration of light in the "Range of Light" - an exploration of consciousness and the lifelong struggle to be truly in the moment. I achieved brief moments of clarity, of no conscious thought, of just experiencing the place I was in without narrative or other distraction running through my brain. Then on the very verge of enlightenment, my stomach persistently insisted that supper was a over due and the narrative in my brain returned with thoughts of backcountry cuisine and the fact that the carefully rationed bottle of vodka had just enough for one more very dry, luke warm martini.