Winter Giants

Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in winter, Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, California (Russ Bishop/Russ Bishop Photography)

This image was made on a backcountry ski trip through the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park.  A storm had just passed in the night and although we were anxious to reach our destination, I knew the fresh snow in the trees wouldn’t last. As I wandered through the grove scene after scene unfolded before my lens, but after only an hour or so the delicate flocking was already beginning to melt.

It’s always a humbling experience to walk among these stately giants – to ponder the fact that they’ve been here long before us and will be here long after we’re gone. But the winter season adds a heightened sense of clarity to the scene and these magnificent trees seem to peer out from their cloaks of white as if to say, “I am wise”.

©Russ Bishop/All Rights Reserved