I am hiking along a long and winding trail at Mt. Rainier National Park in dense fog. The visual ques I am used to seeing are all gone: Mt. Rainier rising from the meadow, Dewey Lakes in the valley below. The fog moves me into a more internal state of consciousness, and deep into my own heart and soul. Now I can see what is visible of this beautiful Autumn meadow in new and fresh ways. Fog not only creates mood and interest and softens the sharp edges of a landscape, it also changes our habitual way of viewing the world. Fog makes us more attentive to our internal state of consciousness. Habits are formed over long periods of time, but in the present moment the factors that formed those habits may no longer be relevant. All the cells of our body change with each passing year, and who we are as a person also changes. Fog helps us be more aware of this fact. We can get lost, and we can get found all in a single moment. 

Here is a collection of my best and favorite images from 2023, along with the backstory for many of them, my thoughts, impressions and a few photography tips. They are not in any particular order, some were very popular some not so much so, but all are meaningful to me. Thanks for looking!

1. Lost in a Huckleberry Meadow

Doesn’t it feel good to get lost once in a while! 

2. Peace in the Valley

“I look deep within my heart and soul and what do I see but nature and the external world. I then look out to the external world and nature and what do I see but my own heart and soul.” Erwin

It seems like this Autumn I was running out to meet new adventures before fully coming to peace with the adventures I had already completed. There are many images with great potential just resting deep in my hard drive, kind of like these beautiful clouds in the valley waiting to show a little of themselves to the world. This image is an image I rescued from hard drive oblivion. When I come back to images after several weeks, I often view them with more objective eyes.  This image was taken while doing a sunset hike along the PCT close to the Catwalk. It turned out to be both my most popular and what I also consider my best image of the trip.  There was a beautiful inversion layer in the valley that enveloped the entire landscape by the time I got back to my car.

There is also a lesson that comes with this trip, when hiking out solo at night, always carry two functioning headlamps and a cell phone flashlight with a backup battery for triple protection! On my way back my aging BioLite red headlamp failed. Never mind, I carry two. Lo and behold, my second blue BioLite also failed. Never mind I said, I will just use my iPhone flashlight. Lo and behold I am at 20% power. Luckily, I made it back to the car with a few percentage points to spare! Needless to say, the next day I went down to REI and bought two more headlamps using different technologies and different brands to minimize the likelihood of failure. And BTW, I will also start carrying backup power for my iPhone!

3. Falling Into a Beautiful Dream

Sometimes I hike out into familiar area and the world looks different to me. With this hike at the Columbia Gorge, it might be because the flower bloom was extraordinary this year. The conditions were evidently just perfect to bring out the full beauty of these flowers. The cool, then hot weather caused these flowers to burst upon the scene all of a sudden with the Balsam Root and Lupine blooming in synch which is so rare. But I do not think a near super bloom at the Gorge explains it all. With each passing year I change and perceive the world differently. This year the change was particularity noticeable because this was my first year as a single man and father after twenty years of marriage.  Yes, I am still the same old Erwin that many of you know, but I have wandered into new paths of awareness. These paths do not necessarily take-on a physical dimension. But nevertheless, they are paths I can follow.  The new paths shed some of yesterday’s way viewing the world and allow me more open to experiencing the world with fresh eyes. Sometimes I wonder, if we could but shed all of our habits that shape how we perceive world, might nature itself take on different forms, lines, patterns, shapes and colors?  Would we walk into a new dimension?

4. Self Realization

I am always amazed at how nature has the power to change people’s lives. A person who has not spent much time in nature, goes to a place like this and their life gets utterly turned around and transformed. What seemed important just the other day, especially attachment to material things, now seem much less important. Nature often comes as a still soft voice wanting us to experience more and more of her graces. The path of my life has been to heed her call as often as I can. Being in nature is the ultimate selfie, when we realize we too are part of nature, part of the beauty that is before us. Every day is a celebration and living the dream when one connects closely with nature.

I took this image on the second half of the Panorama Point Loop Trail going counterclockwise in Mid-August, at Mt. Rainier National Park. The glaciated peak in the distance is Mt. Adams. The white chartreuse flowers that to me resemble a forest of tiny flowers are called Lousewort.

5. Yin and Yang

We love to split the world into opposites–light and dark, blue skies and cloudy skies, joy and sadness, hope and disappointment. But for all of these opposites, we cannot know one without the other and they are all part of the same whole that is nature. This is just one of my many rambling musings while also rambling on a ridgetop on a late September afternoon extending into the evening!  Isn’t it a wonderful world we live in?

6. In the Beginning

Although I have done my share of epic hikes including the Wonderland trail, the Three Sisters loop, the Four Pass loop in Colorado, a 120-mile loop trip in the Pasayten, and countless others along with scaling many peaks-this is not usually what fuels my passion for nature and photography. What sparks my passion is finding meaningful connections with nature. Call me weird and I probably am or at least there is something wrong with me! These days, I just do not get that much excitement taking one more epic hike or crossing off one more peak on my bucket list. Do not get me wrong. I know these challenges mean a lot to many people and I respect that. It’s just not me. I do get excited at places like this which just happened to be at the beginning of this hike to the ridge above Snow Lake. It could have just as well been twenty miles in, the location and the difficulty getting there is not what matters. What matters is my connection to nature. I feel my best when I am fully present with nature and sense a strong connection to my surroundings-as I did here. Although I headed up to the ridge above Snow Lake and trekked cross-country along ways toward Preacher Mountain in the rain and mist–this was the highlight of my day, and it was “In the Beginning”! 

7. Mt. Fremont Blue Ridges Sunset

This is looking out from above Mt. Fremont Lookout toward the lookout catching some of the last embers of light and beautiful layered mountains with a lenticular cloud in the sunset sky. It’s hard to beat Mt. Fremont for beautiful spell binding sunsets, and every year I return to this sunset paradise.

8. Spirits of our Ancestors

In early May I spent four days exploring Oregon’s John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. This area is best known for the Painted Hills which I visited and photographed, but I also spent a significant amount of time exploring all the different areas of the park on the open trail including the Sheep Rock and Clarno units. I was so surprised to see this rock with a turquoise tint alongside the red rock that is most often featured in images of this area. I had visited this place the day before and the rocks were dull in color, but the overnight T storms and rain brought out more vibrant colors. There are fossils in this rock, and the place seems to silently whisper messages of those who lived here long ago. I think I have fallen in love with this area and will return again and again!

9. Convergence

The recent heavy rains and the golden hour light really brought out the colors, textures, and lines of the Painted Hills on this evening, especially when viewed through the narrow angle of a large telephoto lens. Moisture and light play a huge role in the Painted Hills for how they appear. Although the earth may look dry, when it is colorful like this it is actually like mud.  This is one of the reasons the park does not want anyone going off trail into the hills because it will leave a definite trace and cause erosion of the sensitive soils.

10. Clouds Float in my Eyes

At sunrise, the sky above Garibaldi Lake was mostly blue, but as morning progressed patchy clouds appeared everywhere and were reflected in the beautiful water of this enormous lake. Early morning light filtered through gaps in the clouds, illuminating this beautiful grand landscape.

The surface area of Garibaldi Lake is 2,460 acres. By way of comparison Snow Lake close to Snoqualmie Pass, another very large lake, is only 153 acres. The lake was born when Mt. Price and Clinter, the somewhat reddish peaks pictured on right, erupted forming a large lava dam 980 feet in thickness which coincidently is also about the depth of the lake. In this image you can see some of the loose lava rock from this dam around the shoreline of the lake.

A quest for new horizons has brought me here. Freed from any preconceptions of what this place may be like, I was able to experience this area with more like the eyes of a child. In fact, in BC I am more like a kid in a Candy Store! So many new places and adventures in the roads and trails ahead! This will not come at the expense of my beloved Washington. I also love returning to the intimately familiar. Nature knows no boundaries. The US Canadian border is an invention of the political mind of humans, not something that originated organically through the actions of nature!

11. Garibaldi Awakening

The first embers of light make their way into the Garibaldi Lake basin as clouds form and move slowly across the lake in forever changing formations. My eyes gravitate to the island in this vast inland sea with a bonsai like tree. These islands are called battleships-I am not sure why but to the imaginative eye they do look a bit like them! The islands are made up of volcanic lava rocks, remnants of an ancient eruption of the nearby peaks.

12. “Follow Your Bliss”

This quote was originally coined by Joseph Campbell, a Mythologist and champion of the Perennial Philosophy.  The Perennial Philosophy points to common themes and archetypes that can be found in the mythology and history of all places and cultures. To follow your bliss means to have the courage to do what you really want to do in life as opposed to choosing a path forced on you by other people. This summer, following my bliss has brought me up north to Garibaldi Provincial Park Canada for several backpacking trips with more in the planning next summer!

13. Creeping Dogwood Bunchberry Forest

Bunchberry Dogwood, also know as Canadian Dogwood, is perhaps my favorite plant at the forest floor–especially underneath the large and tall trees of a deep virgin forest. Among the smallest of a genus of mostly shrubs and trees, Bunchberry prefers the moist ground and dappled sunlight found underneath large ancient trees. Red berries form in Autumn sometimes carrying forward to Winter with the leaves turning a wine red. I almost missed these hiking through the lower elevation forests of Mt. Rainier, but heard their soft whisper and caught a glimpse of their small and subtle beauty out of the corners of my eyes.

14. Mt. Shasta: Around the Bend

On the first day of my road trip to University of California San Diego to bring my daughter her car, I spent the night at a hotel in the Northern California Town of Yreka. I chose this town for two reasons: it was close to Mt. Shasta and also would put me reasonably close to the Big Sur area where I spent the next couple of days. I really had no plan for where I would photograph Shasta and thought I would just wing it. I headed down the highway the next morning well before sunrise, drove quite aways then rounded a bend where this scene opened up before my eyes. I quickly looked at my mirrors for traffic and pulled over to the side of the I-5, got out of the car, and took this image handheld at high ISO. Sometimes my usual slow approach to photography will just not work and like in the Old West one must be a quick draw to hit the target and get the shot! This light was fleeting and only lasted a few minutes. I need to search Amazon for one of those bumper stickers that say, “I break suddenly for sunrises and sunsets”!

15. The Magic Coast

This image is looking north from Big Sur out to the Bixby Bridge and toward Carmel and Monterey. If you look close there is what looks like a private residence on top of the hill above the bridge. They must have one heck of a view! It is somewhat surprising because the Big Sur area has one of the most restrictive development policies in the US and maybe the world, but they were likely grandfathered in prior to the implementation of these policies that have done a great job of preserving the natural environment.

16. You Keep Me Hanging On

Here it is mid-winter in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area, and the tree is still holding on to its leaves. Will the leaves still be there in Spring?

17. Happy Family of Snowy Trees

While on a snowshoe hike and on my way to Kendall Lakes, this group of trees caught my eye. Although somewhat different in size, they all seemed to have a uniform shape standing in a row belonging together. Their snow-covered boughs stood in sharp and beautiful contrast to the gray sky background.

18. This Old Farmhouse

Some scenes let us know right from the get-go that they want to be photographed in Black and White. As I made my way to the Painted Hills on a stormy day, I passed this old, abandoned farmhouse and decided to make a roadside stop. I love the old, weathered look of the wooden house against the dark stormy backdrop along with a few tumbleweeds in the front yard. Even the small amount of graffiti seemed to add an interesting touch.

19. Zen West Rocks Monochrome

I found these smooth wet rocks lining a walkway at the Zen Garden within the Portland Japanese Garden. At first blush my eyes were drawn to the basic pattern of rocks with each stone somewhat different but most having a loosely circular shape that is never perfect. But when you look at these rocks together you will also see a circular pattern radiating both from the outside in and from the inside out. There are similar radiating patterns echoed throughout the garden. These are more than just rocks; they were put there along with other objects in the garden to move us into a more mediative and still state of mind!

20. Painted Hills Claystone Silt Abstract

With heavy Spring rains in the Painted Hills, some of the claystone washes away with the silt quickly drying in streambeds often forming beautiful patterns with contrasting colors. These change from one rainstorm to the next and with different directional light for a constantly changing show. Who says mud cannot also be beautiful!

21. Tears of Sadness and Joy

Winter can often seem sad. Caught between Autumn and Spring, much of nature has gone into hibernation. But without sadness we would not know even what joy is. Although this image was taken in the middle of the Winter, new life is just around the corner. On this day, at the Seattle Conservatory, I caught a glimpse of the promise of a new life while looking through a rainy greenhouse window.

22. Maple Leaf Potpourri Melody

In addition to looking out and up, it is always a good idea to look down towards one’s feet when walking through Kubota Garden.

23. Petals and Nails

It’s amazing how dreamlike these dahlia flowers can appear with the shallow depth of field at 2.8 on my Sony FE 2.8/70-200 GM OSSS 2 Lens. I really like how the two flowers were leaning into each other, one with petals and the other to my imaginative eye with fingernails.

24. Karma and the Return Journey

During early October, I completed the High Divide Seven Lakes Basin Loop in Olympic National Park. AllTrails put this loop at 19.1 miles and 5,419 ft elevation gain, but with photography excursions, it was more like 26 miles and 7,000 ft elevation gain. I did it, however, over four days and three nights so the journey, although challenging, felt comfortable to me with beautiful Autumn colors at their peak. I had campsites at Deer, Lunch and Heart Lakes all beautiful in their own way. This image is of Lunch Lake, not far from my campsite, with Packman like clouds moving from North to South.

The last time I did this journey was with my much younger sister Cindy Buske decades ago. She was barely a teenager at the time and as we were driving out there announced she had forgotten her sleeping bag. Luckily, we were able to find a sporting goods store in Port Angeles and bought one of those big and heavy flannel sleeping bags more suited to teenage slumber parties! The Karma God of forgetfulness visited me once again on this return journey. At my first camp at Deer Lake, I discovered I was missing my MSR Pocket Rocket stove. How could that be? I meticulously assembled everything I needed using a check list approach. What I neglected to do was take inventory when everything was actually going into the backpack and when I returned home there the stove was swept under the rug—blame it on Precious the cat!

My first inclination was to call the trip off and head back. Then I thought what kind of story would that make other than that I am a quitter! I decided I did not need the stove and freeze-dried meals and could be like a Sadhu in the wilderness and just fast, or go part way and survive off half the daily requirements for calories LOL. No-I will not quit and went ahead with the journey, and I am so glad I did. The weather gradually transitioned over the days from foggy and moody with a little rain to blue bird skies on the last couple of days with beautiful flashback memories and new memories every step of the way.

25. Two Hearts Beat as One

This is also from the Seven Lakes Basin High Divide Loop in Olympic National Park. But this is not Heart Lake but rather Lunch Lake, same as the previous image. But from this perspective the lake took on a heart shape echoed by the heart shaped rock surrounded by a wreath of red huckleberries in the foreground. In nature all hearts beat as one.

26. Erwin’s Pond

Sunsets at a pond close to my home have were extraordinary last Spring. I was at this spot two nights earlier and witnessed a beautiful sunset but only had my phone camera with me. So, when I returned a couple of nights later, I did not have high expectations there would be encore. But an encore it was.

The official name of this pond is Wetland 14 Natural Area. That feels a little overly technical and unimaginative to me, a little like second and third beach in Olympic National Park so I gave it my own name, Erwin’s Pond. I encourage others, however, to name it as they will! I have heard from a passerby on the trail who is named Jim and has walked this area forever (He is in his upper 80’s) that this was a peat mine that filled with spring water after the mine was abandoned. The woman who lived here had the entire pond in her residence. When she passed on, she willed the land to the park system for the enjoyment of everyone.

I can imagine the sunsets she saw here living at the pond 365 days a year! It is a simple pond surrounded by second growth trees; most of the time not all that remarkable. But this body of water does collect the light in such a beautiful way, and when there are clouds, the reflections for me are beyond beautiful. I find the lily pads in bloom also very attractive. But more than all this, for me this is a place for meditation and reflection I can access frequently, maybe not 365 days a year, but at least 60 times a year!

27. Coulon Park Boulevard Reflections

Before heading to my Zumba Class on this late October morning, I headed down to Coulon Park arriving just before sunrise. It rained the night before creating a few puddles for some beautiful reflections. I only had time for a few images as people started swarming in for selfies. Somehow, I got looped into helping a couple of them out using their phones and that turned into helping several people out taking and about 100 phone images. I guess they like what they saw, but people also just assume that if you have a big camera and a tripod you must be good, LOL!

28. Autumn at Kubota Japanese Garden Pond

This pond is located at the Japanese Garden within Kubota Japanese Garden. This portion of the larger garden was actually a display garden back in the 30’s for customers to look at if they wanted to hire Mr. Kubota as their landscaper to create their own Japanese Garden on their lot. The colors at Kubota Garden were absolutely amazing this Autumn, some of the best I have ever seen at the Garden!

29. Reaching for Mother Nature’s Warm Embrace

In early November, I showed up under this tree on a rainy day at Kubota Garden. Some beautiful midday light was making its way through the rain clouds. The rain helps even the exposure and paints a glow on the autumn color that pops into focus. When it rains in early November, I make sure I go to Kubota Garden!

30. All the Fallen Leaves

Kubota garden has always held a special position in my heart. For many years, while still working at the close by Boeing Developmental Center Plant, I would come here for lunch and a welcome relief from the stresses of the corporate world. The garden was not very well kept back then and had a very wild look. It’s much better maintained now with many improvements. I am glad the foundation has elected to keep much of the wild less manicured feel of the garden. This really sets it apart from most other Japanese Gardens. Although my life is much less stressful now, I still feel a sense of peace and calm anytime I come to this garden which is often.

31. Foggy Lake Sawyer at Sunrise

Last August I received a call from my cousin Mark Tullis just about when I was ready to head out to his place on Lake Sawyer for sunrise. He said the lake was totally fogged in and asked if I still wanted to go. I thought to myself, that is exactly when I want to go! Yes, of course I want to go! Well before actual sunrise we set out in his platoon boat into the thick fog with visibility no better than 10 or 20 percent. Mark knows the lake well, so this was not an issue. As twilight progressed to sunrise the sun’s rays penetrated the fog that gradually lifted creating many opportunities for some beautiful moody and mystical images.

32. Autumn Forest Reflections

Autumn came to the Middle Fork like I have not seen before in years. Based upon my experience in previous years, it was early, and I was surprised to see so much fall color in an area that is not really known for this. The surprise was welcome, and I thoroughly enjoyed hiking in this close by area on this day! The fall colors, even at peak, are more subtle here, but I love the challenge of finding compositions where everything just seems to work. In the following two images the color is primarily coming from the broad leaf Maples. Larches, I will see you next year–sorry about the breakup!

33. Middle Fork Autumn Moods

Fog rises ever so slowly from the river valley creeping up the mountainside to reveal glimpses of the forest of Maples and Fir Trees. Then the fog descends again and lifts again in an Autumn dance with no two steps ever to be repeated in exactly the same way.

34. Autumn Flow

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters.”
― Norman Maclean

35. Fallen Blossoms and Umbrellas in the Rain

From an early April morning at the UW Quad, my eyes were drawn to fallen cherry blossoms and colorful umbrellas in the rain. What a difference from the prior day-with the rain falling, there were only a few people taking pictures of the Cherry Blossoms. Every time I go here, I swear I see a ghost of myself walking around LOL, as I spent 4 years at this campus getting my undergraduate degree with many fond memories and perhaps a few not so good memories!

36. Cherry Blossom Garden: By the Light of the Golden Lamps

I just love the UW Cherry Blossoms at twilight with the blending of natural light and the glow of these soft yellow lamps. Its a wonderful place to just sit, breathe, and take in all in!

37. Lemon Rose Tulips at Sunset

After about an hour of sideways rain and hail, along with the blustery winds, and me wondering why I was even here, springtime finally prevailed.  The sun broke through the clouds illuminating these yellow rose-like tulips! Some people mentioned to me that these are actually peony tulips. To me peonies look like roses and roses a bit like peonies, but when both grow as tulips the effect in these long rows at springtime is nothing short of spectacular! This was taken at the Wooden Shoe tulips fields in Oregon. 

38. Mirror Lake Sunburst

Around sunrise and into early morning, Mirror Lake was deep in shadow. But when the sun peaked over one of the ridges of Pyramid Peak and found an opening in the trees, golden rays of sunlight burst upon this beautiful petite lake. It is at moments like this that I am reminded what a gift it is just to be alive and able to experience such sublime beauty–truly a moment of golden tranquility. Mt. Rainier National Park

39. Waterfall Girl

During her Spring break from UCSD, my daughter Caroline and I hiked to Little Mashel Falls. As you can see in the photo, the falls are not so little. Caroline especially loved getting behind the Falls and getting a bit wet! She liked the place so much she told me she wants to bring back her friends to do a trail run in this area!

40. Bayshore Harbor Sunrise

Here is an image of sunrise from Bayshore Harbor and Stanley Park-only a short walk from the Westin Bayshore hotel, where my daughter and I stayed during our end of summer vacation before she headed back to college at UCSD. We had plenty of time for swimming and city shopping making Sweet Caroline happy! The hotel provided us complementary bikes to ride around Stanley Park and Caroline navigated us to some very authentic Japanese Ramen on Robson Street. She developed a taste for authentic Ramen while an exchange student in Japan. This was followed up by some super thick European style hot chocolate at the Mink Cafe in downtown Vancouver! Did I mention the Gelato the night before? Time to hit the gym and trail’s LOL! But what a way to cap off a wonderful summer and give her a memorable send off! 

41. On the Foggy Autumn Tral

From late September, I am walking through an inversion layer of fog, beautiful autumn foliage and a forest, on my way to the Pacific Crest Trial Catwalk.

42. Mushroom Paradise

Part of me believes that one can only find the best images by hiking way in and doing the hard work, and often this is true. But sometimes an image will present itself right at the beginning of the trail. These are the images that are the easiest to miss because our minds are already travelling somewhere way down the trail. That is why it is important to open to discovering beauty at all times. These mushrooms were literally glowing in the forest right outside the parking lot at the Middle Fork. But I watched hiker after hiker just walk on by. 

In this scene I felt drawn not only to the glowing mushrooms in a family huddle along with the surrounding moss, but also the diagonal roots on both sides of the mushrooms which echoed the shape of the trail leading into the forest. I loved the way the golden centers of the mushrooms matched closely the golden color of the tree where the trail vanishes in the distance.

43. On the Autumn Trail to Poo Poo Point

It was absolutely an amazing experience in November hiking into the sunlight and the forest of broadleaf maple trees! Colors were at their peak and in excellent form. I do not think I have ever seen Fall Color this good before on the trail to Poo Poo Point! I go here mainly for a quick workout, but occasionally I get blown away by its beauty!

44. Flow-Wu Wei

The Tao is nameless and unchanging.
Although it appears insignificant,
nothing in the world can contain it.
All things end in the Tao
just as the small streams and the largest rivers
flow through valleys to the sea.
From Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

I love small streams often more than large rivers. They are closer to the source, and ultimately can be closer to us. This water from the Spring melt down has a long way to flow before it reaches the sea, evaporate into the sky, and make the return journey once again and forever without end. How long could you sit by this stream? I was there about two hours! I wish it was longer!

45. Freedom in Nature

“Man is born free but everwhere is in chains” Rousseau.
As important as these things are, I do not find freedom in hopes for political change, a new employment opportunity, a new hobby, new material possessions, or even a change in relationships. I find freedom in nature. In nature I feel connected to all of creation, and yet I know I still can express myself as an individual. But I can only do this because I am connected to all that is around me: the setting sun, mountains, beautiful mountain ash turning color, the water, sky, air, wind and earth.

46. Tiger Mountain Super-bloom Bouquet

I just loved this bouquet of daisies, fireweed and foxglove flowers looking out from West Tiger 3 to West Tiger 2 and Mt. Rainier during the golden hour. This area was logged a few years ago opening up views. Now the wildflowers have established themselves and this year to my eyes have reached super bloom status!

47. Day of the Eagle

This was taken on a beautiful February day close to sunset. We were looking for the elusive Bobcats that allegedly have been seen in this area but settled instead for these awesome eagles. The Bobcats will have to wait for another day!

48. Palouse Meditation

On my first evening in the Palouse during May of this year, I was almost immediately drawn to this beautiful scene. Like in meditation or yoga practice, the tree was the calming focus of my attention. But even with my eyes drawn to the tree, I was also aware of the surroundings–beautiful wavy fields, light cresting the tops of the hills, a small road leading to the tree, contrasting green and brown fields, the play of light and shadow, and myself-all seamlessly integrated into a harmonious whole.

49. Come Walk With Me

It was a beautiful, serene morning on this Autumn day at the Japanese Garden, as I walked across a foot bridge into double sun stars, a burring Japanese Maple and beautiful pond reflections of surrounding sculpted Black Pines.

50. Light Beams in a Foggy Forest

The Japanese have a word for light beams in the Forest, Komoebi. Many of my hiker friends call them God Rays. The feeling one gets walking through the forest, with the sun shining through the fog and filtered into directional beams of soft light, is ultimately beyond words. The experience is transcendent as we feel ourselves dissolve into the ether. We are the light shining in the forest.