SIXTEEN SANCTUARIES

River's End

It was here, at the river's end, where we found our relief. Pushing upstream for almost ten miles, our bodies all but collapsed in front of the falls. This is what we had come for.

Into the Narrows

Sore legs, wet feet, the Narrows did not disappoint. Although we had only planned on walking to the start of the river and then heading elsewhere, something changed when we saw the water. Chest deep at points, we pushed forward. Whatever ever it was, the feeling got stronger as we moved deeper into the Narrows.

Zen

Thousands of years of erosion have left behind the flowing rock formations across the west. Here we found a small rock cairn nestled among its peers. Standing tall it whipsers to passersby, keep going.

Rooted

Alone in the desert we walked. The sun beating down on us as we moved across the red rocks below our feet. Out there, in order to stay standing, your roots matter.

Among Giants

Walking among these trees, we were transported. The closeness of the trunks gave the air an otherworldly feeling. Among these giant living beings, our footsteps sounded like pin drops on the forest floor.

Canyon Dusk

On the edge of heaven we sat, or so it seemed as the sun set over the caynon below. She truly was grand. The orange glow hung between the ridges below our feet. There was a magic in this place and we could feel it as the darkness crept closer.

Granite Guardian

Peircing the sky, Half Dome stands in the garden of granite that is Yosemite. For years thousands have had the privilege to come and bathe in its glory. Here on Sentinel Bridge, gazing up, we too felt the warm embrace of the surrounding valley.

Call of the Tetons

Aodhan had a meeting that morning. We needed wifi and Jackson was the place to get it. Driving into town, the light broke through the clouds for only a few moments. It was if they stretched with the coming of the sun.

Immovable

It rose out of the earth towering above us as we walked. Standing in it's shadow we could not help but be in awe. Through storms and sun for countless years this rock has stood, immovable.

Delicate

The sun was falling fast behind the horizon as we scrambled to view this iconic arch. Viewed on the licsence plates of most of the cars around us, seeing this place in person, we understood the allure of this red rock. Standing tall in the setting sun, the delicate arch remains.

Cascade

The sounds of water filled our ears as we moved deeper into the forest. It was dawn when we emerged from the trees. Cascading down the

Blue Serenity

Looking into the crater felt like looking into the sky. The endless blue below seemed to have no bottom. In that moment, in our invetered world, there was a stillnes we would not soon forget.

Coastal Solace

We slept on the side of the road, under the stars with barks of elephants seals sounding in the darkness. Almost out of gas and exhausted from the drive, a small pull off inches from the asphalt was our final destination. We slept like kings that night.

Outlier

Overlooking the ocean, this cypress tree stands alone. Many storms have pounded the shore with wave after wave and yet this tree remains: A guardian, a protector on the precipice of the world.

Down In the Valley

Watchng the sun sink below the horizon we looked into the valley below. The light dancing between the trees and jumping off the rocks. We had almost missed this incredible place, and as we sat, the long nights and early mornings it took to get here all felt worth it.

Above it All

As the summer sun dipped below the horizon our gaze moved upward into the air. There, streaking through the sky, a plane signed its name in the fading light. These massive formations, so small above it all.