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> She got out of our 1996 Saturn SL, walked around a few minutes, snapped a single picture, and got back in the car. This is fantastic! The Eastern Sierras are

by dvaun 7y ago

> She got out of our 1996 Saturn SL, walked around a few minutes, snapped a single picture, and got back in the car. This is fantastic! The Eastern Sierras are an amazing place to explore through camping and day hikes. In my own experience, my parents had planned backpacking trips in this area several times when I was a teen, where each trip was filled with moments like the one your wife and yourself experienced. New places, or points of perspective — where you see the world around you in a new light — are precious and awe-inspiring. > Alas, it was lost in a fire many years ago. This is sad to read. Losing personal photos is hard to come to terms with > Equipment is good and important; location, timing, and an eye for composition is, in my opinion, far more important. This makes sense, and seems to be a broad truth across disciplines: artists and creators are not bounded by tools. My wife and I plan to take our children out to these places. Seeing a sky full of stars and seemingly boundless nature, against the background of quiet sounds and the natural world around you, is something that I wish everyone would experience in their lifetime.

Diederich 7y ago
> Seeing a sky full of stars Yes. As a teenager, with my grandparents, we were camped here for a while: https://goo.gl/maps/zYf5SvSZ2WMaFQpx5 https://goo.gl/maps/zYf5SvSZ2WMaFQpx5 The moon was new, and not yet risen. Even though it was mid summer, near midnight, the outside temperature was below freezing. I walked out away from the camp, past a small ridge, and suddenly, for the first time in my life, I could see not a single artificial light. At more than 10,000 feet of elevation, the air was sharp as a knife. It was dark, yet it wasn't. The arc of our galaxy looked like cotton, it was so bright and clear. The stars were steady, with barely any atmospheric distortion. I sat on a large rock and opened the book I was carrying. "By the starlit mere of Cuiviénen, Water of Awakening, they rose from the sleep of Ilúvatar; and while they dwelt yet silent by Cuiviénen their eyes beheld first of all things the stars of heaven. Therefore they have ever loved the starlight, and have revered Varda Elentári above all the Valar."

by dvaun 7y ago

Diederich 7y ago

> Seeing a sky full of stars Yes. As a teenager, with my grandparents, we were camped here for a while: https://goo.gl/maps/zYf5SvSZ2WMaFQpx5 https://goo.gl/maps/zYf5SvSZ2WMaFQpx5 The moon was new, and not yet risen. Even though it was mid summer, near midnight, the outside temperature was below freezing. I walked out away from the camp, past a small ridge, and suddenly, for the first time in my life, I could see not a single artificial light. At more than 10,000 feet of elevation, the air was sharp as a knife. It was dark, yet it wasn't. The arc of our galaxy looked like cotton, it was so bright and clear. The stars were steady, with barely any atmospheric distortion. I sat on a large rock and opened the book I was carrying. "By the starlit mere of Cuiviénen, Water of Awakening, they rose from the sleep of Ilúvatar; and while they dwelt yet silent by Cuiviénen their eyes beheld first of all things the stars of heaven. Therefore they have ever loved the starlight, and have revered Varda Elentári above all the Valar."