Ridge Top, Parting Clouds

It was my birthday, and I was in Yosemite Valley:

I had been on the move for over 12 hours. I spent my day chasing the light, dodging the rain, celebrating the snow, drinking coffee, wandering the valley floor and making photographs.

Here, it was late into the day. Sunset was minutes away. The clouds were ghosting about the mountain tops. From my current position there were no sounds. No songs from the local birds. No gurgling creek. No wind whispering in the tree tops. Nothing. Rare, total silence.

On the other hand the visual experience was the exact opposite. There was so much going on. So much to see. So much decipher. So much to appreciate and so much to photograph.

Shortly after the sun dropped behind the ridgeline in front of me the clouds thinned and parted which allowed the most beautiful backlight to warmly illuminate the ridge top. This was a very spiritual moment. I released my shutter and made the final photograph of my day.

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