outside

The outdoors inspire many for different reasons.
Some flock to the "wilderness" to escape.
People... noise... stresses of every day life.

Some seek the calm aesthetic beauty.
Some seek the shade.
Some seek the bears, snakes, lizards and birds that add movement and song to the otherwise serene calm of the forest.

I've found that the more time you spend outside - in the woods and elsewhere, the more you come to appreciate its complexity. Movement throughout allows you to explore a wealth of diverse microhabitats and climates... vegetation following shade and sun, animals seeking plants seeking nutrients and of course light ... when you sit and observe you begin to realize that the forest is a complex script - a movie of sorts that, if read correctly has a fairly clearly defined past, present and future. The story is there - waiting to be recognized - waiting to be discovered and waiting to be told...

invasive thistle (bridalveil meadow)- beautiful in it's own right... until you have to walk through it en masse in chacos in the field (BAD THISTLE)

River banks, along the merced river...

The longer you rest, the more you see. Like a Swainson's hawk, proudly holding fresh kill . (sorry george).. or sitting and digesting it's last meal (Tuolumne Meadow) ...

George (RIP buddy)

(introducing...the loudest - and most morbidly obese - rodent EVER)... and one of many bucks who enjoy posing for the camera...



walking through forest gaps into meadows that first appear to be a mass of green grass... upon closer inspection, they're packed with unique and often unidentified species... all different colors and forms... given a harsh and dramatic environment, adapted to blossom and seed at the most opportune time.

species being pollinated by other species, cross pollination and subtle climatic change over time slowly modifying gene pools... resulting in new species... species feeding other species ... perpetuating a cycle that's fragile yet enduring of the most natural yet catastrophic forces and tests of time...

Water- Fire - Ice - Wind...



walls of solid granite carved away and polished to a shimmer by forces we can't even begin to comprehend... the story is there - waiting to be told...

we explore "out there" in different ways. we walk, run, ride... bikes, horses, mules... we climb, descend, repel, glide... sometimes we forget how intricate and yet powerful this seemingly endless outdoor playground really is... before and after work, i'm in the woods more days than not - riding or hiking - exploring and observing... i remind myself to stop and listen, look, smell, hear... the mystery of what is revealed to me through my senses unfolds...

its complexity is overwhelming - and beautiful ... begin to read the subtle details - and realize how little you really know. and how much more there is to learn.