Bird's Eye

This scene is a birds-eye view of the top stage of the trail to Mount Hoffmann's summit in the northern part of Yosemite National Park. Despite not being one of the better known hikes, Hoffmann is no slouch - the peak rises up to 10,855 feet to tower over the surrounding scenery and offer views all the way down to Half Dome and the rest of the more popular valley. The little specks in the bottom left are some of the few fellow hikers we encountered on the trail, and offer shocking perspective to just how vast the park is. It is difficult not to feel like we as graduate students are in the same situation as they are - finding our way along a winding trail towards some distant destination that's always just out of reach.