El Capitan

Woke up at 4am to catch the first light hitting the east face, and the 3000-foot vertical rise just swallowed the valley below me. The granite’s texture in the shadows is something I’ve never seen captured this cleanly, even after a dozen trips here.

I’ve stared at photos of this monolith for years, but capturing it at dawn when the light hits the granite’s texture just right finally made it feel like mine. The 3000-foot scale translates surprisingly well in a wide shot, even on a phone screen.

The sheer scale of that 3000-foot granite wall doesn't hit you until you're halfway up the trail, and then it just keeps going. I've flipped through countless photos of this place, but finally seeing the rock's texture and shadows in person made every shot I took feel completely new.