In the Realm of Wonders

In the Realm of Wonders

We live in quite the palace on this world

So many amazing wonders

A countryside of trees and forests

Majestic mountains and wide open valleys

Vast oceans and arid deserts

An expansive meadows stretch,

adorned with an abundance of grass and animals of all sizes

A tapestry of diverse landscapes that seemingly never end

I've only stepped my toe out in exploration

But oh, I get to live in heaven on this earthly paradise

Each breath is so precious and cherished

And every sight is only amazing

 

Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one afternoon hiking along the Heart Lake Trail From Castle Lake in Shasta–Trinity National Forest. The setting is looking to the northeast with Castle Lake below me and Mount Shasta off in the distance. What I had wanted to capture while composing this image was to take advantage of the overlook and high ground I was located and capture a sweeping view looking down the valley and then over to Mount Shasta. In angling my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera slightly downward, I knew that I would bring the horizon higher into the image. I felt that would help bring out more of a sense of grandeur with this national forest and northern California setting. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 8 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

 

The story behind this image is that I’d come across this location and hike while planning the trip I took to Lassen Volcanic National Park and the Mount Shasta area (trailheadtraveler.com/shasta-trinity-national-forest/). This overlook was a set of images that I also came across on Flickr (search under Castle Lake and Mt. Shasta). The view is amazing, to say the least!

Done