Merced River and Ice, Yosemite National Park, Ca (and a Mountain Lion)

When the weather gets colder, it always reminds me of quiet and peacefulness; the kind of quiet that comes with a fresh snowfall. Of course, a snowfall is no fun when you have to drive in it, or deal with unplanned closures, however, I still find that time just after a snowfall particularly relaxing, as well as artistically inspiring. Maybe it is just because it transforms what we see on a daily basis into something new, just for a short while until it melts, or perhaps it is because of the delicacy of the snow fall mixed with the harsher cold air. Usually, snow won’t stay on branches for very long after the snowfall has ceased, so that short window to take in the trees, ground, and all of the immediate surrounding transformed with a blanket of snow is short lived.

I made this photograph during a trip to Yosemite National Park in December 2013. I had hoped for snow with this trip and was rewarded with a 15 inch snowfall the day of my arrival. I was considerably lucky with this, as California is and has been in a drought for quite a while. I was struck by the patterns the ice in the Merced River had made; in particular, there were several unique ice formations that resembled stars, but in a 3 dimensional space, not the typical 2 dimensional space. As I worked to compose this photograph I also noticed the tracks in the snow from a fox. The observance of tracks is another benefit of freshly fallen snow making it much easier to determine what animals have been around the area recently.

During a hike a few days after this photograph was made, I came across Mountain Lion (Cougar) tracks as I traveled the switch backs along the side of a mountain face trail. The tracks ran perpendicular to the trail I was on, indicating the large cat went straight up and down the mountain, instead of taking the easier path I had chosen. Being this close to a large cat was a great feeling, bringing me closer to the earth and the wild world. The tracks were relatively fresh as I could see the snow displaced was still loose and not hardened from the prior nights deep freeze. As I ascended, I became far more aware of my surroundings, as well as unaware of where the big cat was or if it was still around.

We have a rescued cat at home and I feel that many times when we are looking for him, he is hidden away watching us. Most of the time, we locate him and my suspicions of him observing us turn out to be true; I couldn’t help but wonder if this situation was any different. Alas, I completed the hike with no further evidence of the Mountain Lion outside of the tracks. The next snow fall we get, try to find a secluded place and head out to see what new things are no apparent. It is almost a new world, and allows for a feeling of heightened awareness of our new “old” surroundings.

My solo show at McKay Imaging in Red Bank, NJ (12 Monmouth St Red Bank, NJ) opens on Friday, December 12th from 7-10. I hope you can make it to the opening for wine and cheese, along with 21 of my black and white photographs, many of which never released to the public. Of the 21, New Jersey has the largest distribution of photographs which is noteworthy considering the other beautiful locations that share the wall space from across the country!

This photograph and many others are available on my website at www.colinseitzphotography.com.

I hope you all have a great week,

Colin