Began this trip with a drive to Red Rock Canyon State Park in the afternoon. I climbed to the top of the tallest mountain in the area, just in time for the sunset. The clouds were beautiful and the Sun "Peeked" at me before going down over the horizon. Slept in my Xterra in the middle of the desert somewhere and awoke around 3AM and drove to an area off Highway 395 just north of Bishop. I was looking for nice foreground for Wheeler Ridge and Mount Tom for the sunrise. After catching a couple decent shots, I headed for Yosemite. After picking up my backcountry permit, I began my hike up to the Cathedral Lakes area. I first stopped in at lower Cathedral Lake and the mosqiuitos were horrible!!! After scouting the area for some locales for low light photography, the weather was starting to change and I could hear thunder rolling in the distance. I was not fully satisfied with this area and decided to head up to upper Cathedral Lake. Just before the rain came down, I set up camp near the lake and rested a bit. There was a break in the weather, so I decided to climb nearby Tressider Peak. Absolutely spectacular views of the area. I climbed up to the summit and could see Mount Conness and the Sawtooth Range to the north, Halfdome to the west, the Lyell Range to the south, and the Echo Peaks/Mathes Crest to the east.

I climbed back down to my camp as the weather got wet again and some heavy fog rolled in. I had hoped to photograph Cathedral Peak in the lake at sunset, however it wasn't looking like that was going to happen. Suddenly, just after washing up and eating, I heard the rain stop and my tent began to glow bright orange. I peaked outside and saw some of the most beautiful color I have ever seen. The fog/clouds began to break and the sky was on FIRE!!! The Sun had already set and I had but just a few moments to capture the light. I composed and photographed a number of shots and within minutes, the light was gone. I shutter at the thought that I almost just went to sleep and would have missed this magical moment. The next morning, I awoke at about 3AM and climbed by headlamp to the Cathedral/Echo saddle, where I captured some nice shots of the sunrise. I then climbed to the summit of the Echo Peaks. Another stunning view of the surrounding area. After the ideal light was gone, I climbed back to camp, packed up, and hiked back out to my vehicle at Tuolumne Meadows. The last three entries in this set are videos I took.