A Dune Sunrise
Three years ago a group of our closest friends suggested we all go on a two week National Park hiking trip out west. Never one to turn down a chance to visit the National Parks, I said as fast as I could... "We're in!". And so began a lot of planning, and then a two year delay due to the pandemic. But, finally the day of departure arrived and the trip was on!
We spent the first two weeks of May in the deserts of Utah and California and finished in the high mountains. In total, we saw Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce, Zion, Death Valley, Sequoia, and Yosemite. We shivered in 30 degree temperatures while watching the sun come over the canyon rim and light up the orange and white hoodoos of Bryce. We hiked two thousand feet up to the top of the West Rim of Zion. We arrived to 109 degree heat in Death Valley followed by a day in the 40's in the high altitude of Sequoia! We doubled back on a pleasant hike around a meadow because a mother bear was guarding her cub too close to the trail. And we put our hands on the Dawn Wall of El Capitan and even climbed part of the famous wall of granite (ok, we only climbed five feet, but we still got off the ground on El Cap!).
It was a fantastic trip... a bit tiring, but everyone got to see an incredible variety of landscapes in a short amount of time.
I arose for six sunrises during the trip... great times to take out my camera and explore these landscapes in the beautiful light of early morning. One such sunrise was the sand dunes of Death Valley. I had done this before, ten years ago, and insisted that the group get up with me and experience it. That meant a 4:50am departure and some walking up and over the swells of loose sand... all before the sun came up. But it was worth it and the image above captured that calm, quiet feeling of being there as the sun crested the mountains and lit up the sand.
Look for a couple more of my favorite images coming over the next month or two. And consider planning your own visit to some of these great parks - they are simply amazing to experience!