Spirits in the wood near Mirror Lake





Staghorn lichen adorns a one-eyed wonder.


Mirror Lake, below Half Dome's northern cliffs. If this stone and rock "jetty" seem too perfectly situated to be natural, they probably are. This area was more developed in the late 1800s and tourist visitors were charged 50¢ or so to access this spot, ideal for novelty photographs.


Just before returning to the car after walking to Mirror Lake, I heard a cacophonous thundering crash of falling rock that must have lasted for 8 or 10 seconds. The steep solid walls of the valley make for an impressive echo and amplification effect, but even so it sounded like a serious chunk of granite had come loose. No sirens or other noticeable responses after the noise quieted, but I saw this cloud of dust and debris knocked loose by the fall rising up above the ponderosa pines and incense cedars... The world in motion.