Ansel Adams Wilderness: Panoramic Expanse

Camping at Shadow Lake
I just came back from a backpacking trip in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. It was beautiful and refreshing. I nearly forgot that I have no job and no money. Four friends and I started from Devil's Postpile National Monument and hiked up to Shadow Lake where we camped. The area around Shadow lake is really crowded. I felt something less than isolated and alone at our campsite.
Despite the many hikers and backpackers, the area is beautiful. I slept under the stars and woke up with the morning sun. The first morning I inched out of my sleeping bag and climbed a nearby dome of rock with my new tripod and 35mm camera to catch the first rays of light as they painted the eastern-facing spires.
The panorama is my favorite format for landscape photography, and this post is dedicated to the best panoramas I made on this trip. I consider a few of them to be some of the finest panoramas I've yet taken. Many of them are were composed on film and are of a greater detail and quality then previous images. I consider these a small step forward in my development as an aspiring photographer.

The High Country
At 9500 ft. trees are rare and gnarled, giving way to inviting meadows with world-class views. In the panorama below, my friend, Jordan crouches to snap the perfect picture.
Four More Alpine Lakes
From our base camp at Shadow Lake, we climbed to successively higher lakes starting with Ediza then on to Iceburg and Cecile Lakes. Ediza Lake was lovely, nestled in among the bare peaks in a sheltered valley.
Continuing on, past Ediza and up several thousand feet, through beautiful meadows, brings you to Iceburg. While the trail to Iceburg is not on any maps, it is reasonable well traveled with only a few challenging sections. The extra distance is certainly worth it. Iceburg lake was the clearest lake I have ever seen. You could see (by my estimates) through 15 to 20 feet of water to the lake's bottom. If you make it up to this lake, make sure to stop for a cool drink before continuing on.Cecile Lake is the highest of the lot at 10300 ft. Cecile lake seems precariously perched on the side of a mountain, ready, with the slightest shift, to tumble down into Iceburge or Minaret lakes. The landscape is barren--even martian. Scene is one giant rockfall, void of almost all life. The forceful wind seems bent on ripping you off the ground and blowing you back down where you belong. I climbed up the rocks at this lake and took the following 360-degree, 20-image panorama. It is by far the most ambitious panorama I've undertaken. Shot on 35mm film, Jordan had to hold down the legs of my tripod to keep if from blowing over while I carefully lined up shot after shot to reveal both Iceburg and Cecil Lakes clinging to the rocky spires of the Sierra Nevadas.Finally, as I hiked to the far side of Cecile Lake, I peered down at the largest of the four: Minaret Lake.


Resources
Maps

• Devil's Postpile is located near Mammoth Lakes, CA on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Check out Google Maps for driving directions.
• Mytopo.com has a great topographical hiking map of the area here.

Night Photography: Tucson City Glow

Recently, I inherited a 35mm Canon from my sister, and I've been experimenting. After exposing an entire roll of film I ended up with one decent shot:$10 in film and processing for one half-decent 4x6. I really have to spring for a dSLR.

Lower Antelope Canyon

Shadow and Fire
Antelope Canyon captured my interest from the moment I stumbled upon images of light pouring in though the the Canyon's ceiling and striking the sand below. It's a truly beautiful canyon with striking shadows and highlights dancing on the curves and bends of the warm rock. The images in this post are from Lower Antelope Canyon. The Canyon is separated into upper and lower with the upper being at least twenty times more popular. While I got hustled and herded through the crowds of Upper Antelope Canyon, in the lower canyon, I had all the time I wanted.
I was actually alone for large periods of time in this section of the canyon, and I savored the opportunity of taking it in at my own pace. I was able to take the time to capture the sweeps, curves, and edges that flow through the rock.
The Navajo name for this Canyon was something like the Canyon of Flowing Water precisely because of the sandstone's suggestive sweeps and waves. As a side note, the name Antelope Canyon seems a little strange. There aren't any antelope around the canyon, and, if there were, they'd be too big to fit through the narrow corridors of this canyon.

A Few Words about the Navajo
Antelope Canyon is on Navajo land and is entirely administered by the Navajo people. While the Navajo have some beautiful land and a noble history, their nation stands in seeming disarray. Everything about Antelope Canyon is poorly managed. Visiting the sight is expensive (at least $51 for one person to see both canyons), the crowds are haphazardly herded through the Upper Canyon, the tours leave when they feel like it, and if you try to find a halfway useful website administered by the Navajo, you are wasting your time. This site is the closest thing you'll find. Additionally, I doubt if the greenhouse-gas-emitting Navajo Generating Station fits in with the Navajo's history of respecting the land.

The Navajo have forgotten their values, they have been uprooted as a culture, and they have lost their identity. It serves to remind me that when people loose sight of their purpose, they cease to be great.
More on Antelope Canyon
From above, Lower Antelope Canyon is little more than a crack in the ground. The images above are from Lower Antelope Canyon. For info on getting to the Canyon and shots of Upper Antelope Canyon (including the famous light beam), take a look at an article I wrote for Adventure Trip Magazine.Never forget who you are. -Ben

Wupatki National Monument

Photographers are the slaves of the sun. On my last trip, I spent a good portion of a day wondering through Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument. By the time I reached the largest of the ruins, it was late in the day. The setting sun, as it struck the ruins of the Wupatki Pueblo, lit the tips of the massive structure, highlighting the natural beauty of the red rock. These Ruins are approximately 800 years old, yet they are remarkably well preserved. Elsewhere, ruins are partly reconstructed or fortified; however, in Wupatki, most of the ruins stand completely untouched.

It's a remarkable experience to stand next to a ruin and see the centuries-old mud mortar crumbled and falling apart under Time's irresistible influence. Visiting Wupatki, I felt physically connected to the past, and, while staring at the past and the walls crumbling into dust, I was reminded of my future. We must make the best of the time we are given.

Resources

• Visit the NPS site for directions, fees, info on the short walks around the ruins, and a history of the monument.
• While visiting Wupatki National Monument, you will almost certainly want to spend some time visiting Sunset Crater National Monument. This young cinder cone had an important impact upon the people living in Wupatki.

Horseshoe Bend

I didn't realize when I set out on my camping trip that I would stumble upon this famous section of the Colorado. Horseshoe Bend is located just a few miles south of Page, AZ on Highway 89. Announced by an unassuming hiking sign, I nearly passed it by. From the small, dirt parking lot, the well-traveled trail leads up a small hill then over a short section of unremarkable desert. It is challenging to detect any sign of the Colorado until you're nearly tottering on the brink. Horseshoe Bend is so large and close that it is impossible to capture the whole thing in just one image. The image above is a tiled panorama of nine separate images. Coincidently, the boats in the bottom left and bottom center are actually the same boat captured at different times as I took the series of photographs for this panorama.

Trail Recommendation: Indian Rock, Yosemite

Tranquil Start (Mirror Lake)
Typically, I travel alone. Although I find the solitude of nature restorative, I'm often out alone simply because the irresistible longing to be submersed in the wild comes upon me so suddenly (that, and most of my friends aren't stupid enough to join me).

My last trip to Yosemite, however, I went with one of my buddies and his whole family: a wife and three girls. It's great to get a chance to share Yosemite, to pass it on to others and encourage others to love the wilderness and creation as I do (after all, that's what Burner Photography's about). That being said, I'm a creature of solitude and reflection, so the day after a "long" hike with the whole family, (up to Vernal Falls and back) they stayed at camp and recovered and I charged headlong into the wilderness. From our campsite in lower pines campground, I could see North Dome towering high about the valley. Consulting maps, I decided to launch an assault on the dome.

The trail out to Mirror lake is, typically, a virtual highway for tourists and the "lake" is little more than a pond. On this particular trip, however, I passed mirror lake in the early morning. Only a few other hikers were out, and the whole realm of nature smelled, sounded, even tasted fresh and new. In the calm of the morning the lake's surface lived up to its name sake and everything urged me on to explore greater heights and discover new manifestations of divinity.

The Climb
The loop trail that passes by Mirror lake can be quite busy; however, as soon as you turn off onto the trail that climbs the Valley's Northern wall, your human company drops to almost none and all manner of wild company takes its place. A couple signs warn you that you are entering the wilderness.

The trail starts climbing steeply up the sheer wall of the Valley's north side through a series of switchbacks. After leaving the trees of the valley floor, this trail provides stunning vistas of Half Dome and Clouds Rest as it clings to the Valley wall. The trail climbs over 2200 ft. before it leaves the Valley behind and begins to level out. In the thin, mountain air, this climb is very strenuous, so take time to stop, take in the view, snap a few photos, and bask in the peace and beauty of the wilderness.

Such Great Heights
After leaving the Valley behind, the trail runs through a young forest, then briefly skirts snow creek. At this point, you can take a right and travel twenty yards or so off the trail to reach snow creek. The bank of the creek makes the perfect picnicking spot.

In April, the snow retreats high into the mountains, but at over seven thousand feet, winter's reign remains uncontested:
Indian Rock
I had originally set out for North Dome, but my goals are often too ambitious. As the day grew waned, I realized that North Dome was out of reach. In the last mile or two to North Dome, the trail drops about a thousand feet--feet I'd have to climb back up before I could make it all the way back down into the Valley. I decided to turn back to the trail for Indian Rock.

The small trail up to Indian Rock travels straight up the ridge of the mountain. This distinct rock outcropping is jagged and worn, a testament to the years of wind and weather that have ripped and torn at its exposed surfaces.

Climbing up to the small, natural bridge on this rock, I was weighted down with my ephemeral smallness. From atop this mountain, I felt like I could see the whole world. It was massive, without any sign of habitation--only massive, razer-sharp mountains of gray rock and expansive snowfields. I was overwhelmed with awe and a feeling of loneliness and danger. Such moments force introspection, and I realize--there, upon the mountain--how completely I am at the mercy of the Creator.

The Sun Sets on a Long Day
The top of Indian Rock was just under 8,400 ft. and the Valley floor is at about 4,000 feet meaning that my day hike climbed over 4,000 ft. and covered a distance of about 16 miles. I didn't make it back to my campsite (Lower Pines Campground) till nearly seven. Of course the snow slowed me down, but if you're planning this hike, leave early and make sure you're in good shape. Otherwise, I recommend backpacking to Indian Rock. Either way, this is a great hike that will take you into the wilderness of Yosemite.

Pinnacles National Monument: Dreams, Spring, and Condors

Dreams
It is spring. At Pinnacles National Monument, the flowers are, no doubt, in full bloom, and I can't help reviewing old photos of an expired spring and dreaming of someday living free with nature. Someday, I hope to be able to take my pen and paper and my camera and use them to splash drab museum walls and urban apartments--a few drops of purple, a rivulet of green . . .Guide
Pinnacles National Monument is a great place to spend a day. It's fairly small, and if you're in half decent shape, you can easily get around the monument in a day. I recommend starting at the end of Bear Gulch and hiking through Bear Gulch Cave to Bear Gulch Reservoir. The cave is long, steep and often has a creek cascading through it, so be forewarned. Also, YOU WILL NEED A FLASHLIGHT. The cave was formed from boulders caving in and creating cavities, so don't expect to see any speleotherms.
Once at Bear Gulch Reservoir, take the High Peaks Trail to get in among the rock pinnacles. This trail involves a little scrambling over rocks, and--if you enjoy bouldering--offers opportunities for quite a lot of scrambling up and around rocks. Hiking along the ridge offers some wonderful views of the peculiar landscape. After traversing the ridge, take the Condor Gulch Trail back down to the visitor center. The Condor Gulch Trail descends easily along a ravine. The hillside--particularly as the trail nears the visitor center--is a prime location for wildflowers. Just don't expect to see any California Condors. See a map of the trails at Pinnacles National Monument.
California Condors
Pinnacles National Monument plays an important role in the Condor Recovery Program. California Condors are extremely endangered. In 1985 there was only one breeding pair of condors. Since that time, the Condor Recovery Program has managed to reintroduce California Condors into the wild. 13 of the Condors fly in or around Pinnacles. Stop by the visitor center to learn more about this huge bird.
Resources

• For trail and camping info, maps, conditions, and general info visit the National Park Service site.
• Pinnacles National Monument is located a couple hours south of San Francisco. Trail and area maps can be found here.
• For a collection of 3D photos and information about the area's geology visit this USGS site.

California Condor Information:

• Read about the Condor Recovery Program in this short article.
• For information on Condors at Pinnacles take a look at this page.
• Stop by the California Condor Conservation website for all the news on Condors.
• The Zoological Society of San Diego was charged with saving the California Condor through a CRES breeding program. If you're ever in San Diego county you can see a California Condor at Condor Ridge in the San Diego Wild Animal Park.