The sierra Nevada mountains don't easily reveal their treasures, but this photographic compilation, the result of over thirty backpacking trips in the remote high country, reveals the spirit and beauty of a national gem through brilliant images. Focusing on carefully selected landscapes captured from virtually impossible vantage points, the photographs reflect a genuine sierra back country experience. Witness the disappearing edges between water and rocks at lake aloha, the scant vegetation peeking out between slabs of smooth granite in cherry creek canyon, and read about the natural processes that led to the creation of waterfalls, glaciers, and lakes. The painstakingly crafted compositions demonstrate how light can determine the way one sees and remembers a landscape. Musings about the sierra Nevada by naturalists, mountaineers, and writers, including John Muir, Norman Clyde, Jane Wilson-Howarth, and Jack Kerouac, complement the arresting photography. 256 pp | 125 color photos