My camp at 10,000 ft. at the base of Mt. Morrison

"Man under the night sky is man alone with his destiny. You stand alone and solitary, against the bigness of time, the bigness of space. The sky is more than a visible plane. It is a black translucent sea on whose edge you hang upside down—filled with stars beyond number and beyond comprehension…. But the night sky is also truth, and it has the power to draw us beyond our petty concerns and compulsions and temporary goals. We see what we are and what all this is, and we are stunned and exhilarated. It is perhaps, a terrible truth, but the feelings respond to it, the heart opens." -Richard Grossinger “The Night Sky"

Waking up on the snow covered ground at 3am on our rocky planet to observe a moonless sky at 10,000 feet in the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra Nevada, is a humbling and awe inspiring experience. The snow acts like a sponge, absorbing any sound, accentuating the mood of the place. You can literally see your surroundings by the light of the stars. As I look up over the rocky crest of the Sierra and see Jupiter and Saturn blazing brightly in the dark sky with the Milky Way galaxy’s core drifting weightless behind, my place in the universe becomes apparent. It is an infinitely small place and a cold one at that. The sense of fatalism would be crippling were it not for the simultaneous sense of awe and inspiration.

What was planned as a precise visit to the high country to photograph my camp juxtaposed with the Milky Way’s core, turned into a moment of silence filled with sincere awe, gratitude and deep humility. The cone of darkness that is the night sky, produced by the sun and the earth’s shadow, acts as a window for us to witness first hand the depth of reality. There are not a lot of folks who make it a point to visit these places in these conditions and 95% of those who do are in it for the adventure. While I love adventure, the primary reason I seek these places is to witness just how magnificent and beautiful our world can be. I assume it’s the same impetus that inspired me to photograph ballet dancers in landscapes in years past.

Thankfully there is no shortage of places on my list to visit and having turned 50 over a year ago, there is a renewed spark inside of me that reminds me that my time is finite. I look forward to visiting and sharing more in the days and years ahead.

Alone. Envisioning the scene in 8 hours when the Milky Way would be aligned with the head of the valley.

The tools we have these days that allow us to plan precisely timed visits to locations like this are pretty mind blowing. I had visited this little valley four times prior so I was quite familiar with it. With knowledge of the landscape I began exploring Google Earth and the app Peak Finder to look for ideal places to set up a camp with a beautiful view.