The 6 Yosemite high sierra camps make a lot of things possible for people such as us that think photography, food and sleep come in exactly that order! Being roughly 6 – 10 miles apart, it is possible to make all of them as a loop in a week. The fact that elevations range from around 7,000 to over 10,000 feet make this a journey that should not be taken lightly. Even without the necessity of carrying food and the gear associated with it, tent and sleeping bag, packs take on a life of their own. Ounces become pounds and pounds seem to multiply by the step. Water is heavier than any photo gear I might want to take!

I like to suggest that since our high camp destinations will have a lot of what we would be carrying we can therefore bring “a little photo gear” with us. Little being the key word! There have been two schools of thought over the years and I understand both. They go something like, I’ll never do this again so I’m bringing every photographic piece of equipment I own. I’m in the second group that says, If I’m too tired to use it then what good is it when I have the opportunity! I’ve always found a shot for what I have and usually don’t see images I can’t make with what I don’t have. Travel light …… travel happy!

Off down the Tuolumne River, through wooded forest, over granite shelves you descend gradually until quite suddenly you come out to a clearing and see the bridges crossing the river that mark the steep downhill to Toulumne falls. Here the river becomes a rage of current and depending on snow pack and time of year you’ll hear it long before you see it.

At this juncture the packs usually hit the ground trail-side and the photo gear comes out. A welcome break on the way to Glen Aulin high camp, a wonderful hour or more out on the rocks that border the bottom of the falls make for thrilling compositions.

In this image exposure was not much of a problem with early morning light to the east rendering the canyon in shade. A Singh-Ray Trio Vari-ND (combines the ColorCombo and Vari-ND) was used to both cut back the glare off the rock face and make a 2 second exposure possible. A 4ss graduated ND filter was also added.

Next …. it’s down the trail, past The White Cascade and on to Glen Aulin high camp. A perfect end to a first day out!