The Greens of the Pacific Northwest

Barely 24hrs prior, I was slogging along an uneven ridge on the High Divide in Olympic National Park, with views of Mt Olympus on one side, and an amalgamation of green valleys and mountain ranges leading to the Pacific on the other side. The hot late summer day and the lack of shade made hauling a 35lb pack all the more excruciating, but the scenery more than made up for it.

But the very next day, I found myself in a green haven, hiking through lush vegetation down one of the valleys along a leafy trail that followed the gurgling sounds of a life-giving creek. Tall conifers shared the canopy with vine maples and broad-leaved oaks while the undergrowth was dense with idyllic ferns and vanilla leaves, with huckleberry shrub loaded with juicy ripe berries spread all over.

A few hours in, the sound of rushing water, far more intense than the gurgle, caught my attention. Following it through the undergrowth, I came across this beautiful cascade where the creek wound its way through a leafy canyon. Barely any light filtered through, leading to a soft and mellow scene. It was a welcome respite from the prior twos of hiking in unbearably hot weather.

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Olympic National Park
WA USA

2018 Calendar

Announcing my 2018 photography calendar filled with landscape and travel imagery to inspire you to travel around the world. You can now purchase it for just $16.99 from Lulu.

From the Pacific coast of the US to the Pacific coast of Asia, this calendar will take you on a journey from mystic Japan, through the rugged mountains and ancient civilizations of Central Asia, the Arabian splendor of Morocco and the diverse landscapes of the US.

And remember, this calendar is for a good cause - all proceeds will get donated to NRDC and WildAid.

When the planet's ecology is facing multiple threats, be it climate change, wildlife exploitation and poaching, pollution, we need a protector, and NRDC works tirelessly to safeguard the place we live. I truly believe in its mission to protect our planet.

Illegal wildlife trade has had a serious impact on the populations of many endangered species. While there are efforts to curb poaching, WildAid believes in attacking the demand side of the equation by persuading consumers and strengthening enforcement. I do hope that they succeed in their mission.

Sunrise of Dreams

Up in the remote mountainous hinterlands of Kyrgyzstan lies an absolutely immense lake at 10000ft, surrounded by beautiful treeless jailoos (summer meadows) that are ringed by glaciated peaks stretching as far as the eye can see. This was Songkul. And every summer, herders bring cattle and horses to this high altitude terrain to let them feed on the fresh grass that grows for miles around, while still homesteading  in a very traditional way - sheepskin-insulated yurts that they set up every spring and pull down in fall.

After a very cold and rainy evening, I got to spend a night in those very same warm yurts, while having no idea what to expect at sunrise. And as the clock struck 5, I got out of the yurt and I was completely blown away by the transformation in scenery. The receding storm was pulling away the last bank of clouds, letting rays of morning sunlight set aglow the rugged snow-capped peaks on the other side of the lake. The clear air and the treeless terrain leave very little to lend perspective to the scene, with peaks rising 2800ft and 10mi away look merely stone's throw away. I spent hours photographing that ever-changing morning, even forgetting my breakfast hunger pangs.  

This rugged isolation was what drew me to this magical place. And it was amply rewarded.

SongKol
Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan

Memories of Fall

Vistas of endless fall foliage, miles and miles of roads lined with vibrant yellow and reds, and golden sunlight bursting through the fiery leaves - this was the scene that greet my fellow travelers and I as we made our way through the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan exactly a year ago. I was wary of visiting this destination so late in its fall season, but our journey there was duly rewarded.

I came across this quiet spot while heading down a dusty road leading to the shores of Lake Huron. As we drove, the vegetation encroached closer and closer, encompassing the entire scene, until all that remained was a brown road threading through a mass of yellow. I was enthralled by the peaceful setting - vibrant foliage, fresh wilderness, a lonely forest with nobody around, and the calming sounds of the woodland on its last legs before a desolate winter.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
MI USA

Whimsical Pillars of Cappadocia

Cappadocia, a geological oddity in the heart of Turkey; a mystical place with sandstone houses, fairytale pillars, beautiful red canyons and thousands of cave dwellings carved into the sandstone. It took me a very long time for my brain to even process the strange formations. And with the place still being inhabited, it feels like a living, breathing wonderland.

The few days I spent here were rooted in Goreme, a small town replete with dozens of restaurants and plenty of hotels to cater to all classes, and surrounded by these strange formations. Desiring an aerial view, I clambered up to the tallest point in this town where the vista finally opened up. From up above, I spied hundreds of conical sandstone formations scattered all around, and beyond that lay the distinctly colored canyons of the Red and Rose canyons. And as the sun slowly sank towards the horizon, the light turned to a warm yellow, and the shadows lengthened adding a unique dimension to the landscape.

I waited until the last of the light left the scene, after which my hunger pangs directedme towards the nearest restaurant. But it was sheer bliss while I was there.

Goreme
Nevsehir Turkey

Eeking out life

Its hard up there in the fringes of a livable ecology. Cold climes, poor soils and rugged terrain make life hard for the flora of this alpine ecosystem. Compound that with a really short growing seasons and with mountain goats and picky humans eager to feed and feast, it is a miracle that this fragile community exists at all. And that is why it is important not to trample this delicate balance during the outdoor adventures in this place.

But more than exist, the vegetation here thrives; during my visit a month ago, I was surprised to see throngs of ripe huckleberry shrub, late blooming daisies and lupines and plenty other wildflowers compete for space in a land dominated by massive glaciated peaks, steep valleys and deep canyons.

Of course it is all under snow know, as proper winter begins in this beautiful alpine terrain. Here's to a generation of montane vegetation growing, budding, flowering, seeding, and setting the stage for the next generation 8 months away.

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA

The Steppes of Sonoma

Country roads wind amidst February meadows,
yellow mustard blossoms carpet the green,
rolling hills as far as the eye can see,
with vineyards and farmhouses dotting the scene.

Such is the magic of the Sonoma county as it turns a new leaf in spring.

Reading the tragic news about the wildfire ravaging through Napa and Sonoma valleys, leading to unprejudiced destruction of forests and communities alike harkened me back to a time when I was driving through this beautiful countryside after it had put on its spring coat. I can't imagine what it would be like to live through such a calamitous event that affected the lives of many.

I hope that this pastoral landscape and the thriving community that got affected recover quickly. You can do your part by donating to those affected by the fire https://www.gofundme.com/napa-sonoma-fires or http://www.sonomacf.org/sonoma-county-resilience-fund/

Petulama
CA USA

A Forest visit

In the silence, I could hear every twig on my feet, every rustle on the leaf, every squawk by a squirrel, every flutter by a bird, and every beam of sunlight that scintillated through the trees. I stopped, hoping to capture silence, while a minute passed by, and then a few more. I lost track of time as I stood in awe of the dense forest with its mossy green trunks and lush vegetation covering every square inch all around.

It was a late morning in the heart of Olympics National Park, and I was making my way through a temperate rain-forest that is ubiquitous in the eastern lowlands of the park. The yellow sunlight (courtesy of a forest-fire somewhere) lent a warm quality to the green vegetation, making the foliage appear ever so photogenic. I scouted around for a few choice compositions, but the heavy pack and the fact that others in my group were waiting for me to catch up meant that I had to be quick about it. I finally lined up one composition with the sunlight peering through the trees for a starburst effect, which I captured at ISO 3200, 1/5s at F18

Olympic National Park
WA USA

Last light in Titcomb Basin

When I crossed the final set of boulders and crested the saddle on the trail, the entire basin opened up, and I knew at once that what I was seeing was special. A rocky treeless basin that was seemingly endless, filled with two long glistening blue alpine lakes, and lined by jagged peaks on either side, greeted my eyes. The photos that I had seen of this hidden backpacking destination were nothing compared to the splendor of soaking in this beautiful scene

It had been a cloudy second day deep within the Wind River range, a glacier-scoured rugged mountain range in the western Wyoming. The freezing rains and cloudy weather had sucked away from the photogenicity of the wilderness, and I was slowly losing my patience. But that evening, my patience was rewarded, as a break in the clouds resulted in the pinnacles catching one last breath of orange light during the last minutes of the day.

I wish I had been better prepared with a suitable foreground, but as a photographer knows, light doesn't wait for anyone. So I composed this one shot that captured the beautiful alpen glow and the last light on the clouds in the Titcomb basin of Bridger-Teton Wilderness. This was captured at F11 at 1/4s and ISO 200

Titcomb Basin
WY USA

In Memory

I could write a paragraph on the beauty of the Dolomites scene I was photographing, or a discourse into the challenges I faced in reaching this point in the heart of the mountains, but words escape me at this point.

It has been a difficult month for the nation. Between the devastating weather systems that ravaged Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and ripping apart the islands' infrastructure, and the shootings in Las Vegas that had taken away 59 innocent lives and injuring countless more, it has been through a lot.

While scores of lives have been (and continue to be) affected, it is the lack of a cohesive response to any of these crises that continues to alarm me. It is either too difficult or too early or too late to talk about the underlying issues that resulted in a solvable calamity turning into a crisis.

Strong leadership is something that is certainly amiss in these difficult times, as what the nation has is a talking egotistical pumpkin-head (apologies to the pumpkins) that cares more about popularity than problem-solving, and lacks the basic empathic skills that one would think is required to lead.

In memory of those who have been affected by crises all over the world....

Lagazuoi
Cortina Italy