I have never seen a river that I could not love. Moving water . . . has a fascinating vitality. It has power and grace and associations. It has a thousand colors and a thousand shapes, yet it follows laws so definite that the tiniest streamlet is an exact replica of a great river. — (Roderick Haig-Brown)

Over the last few weeks we have been wandering the Eastern Sierra exploring this year's epic snow melt.  So I thought it would be cool to put a photo story board together that shows part of the water's epic journey from the high country down to the valleys below.

High Country

So let's start in the high country with semi frozen lakes.  It is almost unbelievable that in July some lakes still have ice on them and others like Saddlebag are still completely frozen.

I knew about skiers that hiked up slopes to ski down, but this year we got to meet a few of them in person.  From that point on kept looking for ski tracks on the faces of the mountains. Dang those folks are in shape and dedicated.  If you look closely at the picture above you can see their tracks.

My wife usually never goes with me on my early morning explorations.  This time she got up well before the sunrise and I was trying to get her to Tuolumne Meadows at sunrise.  There is nothing more magical than Tuolumne at sunrise, but a semi frozen Ellery Lake waking up to the  morning sun was too beautiful to pass up.

Fast and Furious with a chance of Slow Trickle

The streams are flowing like few have ever seen. There is water everywhere, creeks that are now rivers, there are now creeks in places that I have never seen before. 

First Way-Stop

The water settles in ponds like it wants to take a rest and nourish the local inhabitants stop before continuing on its journey.

I even hate to fathom the massive amount of mosquito there will be hiking this year.  So far they have been light but I fear not for long!

Crashing Down

Then along the way the water discovers steep drops that you and I would fear to traverse.  Not the water; it is fearless.  In fact it races to the challenge and shows off its skills as it dashes down the steep terrain.

Second Way-Stop - Reservoirs 

Taking to the Skies

If we are lucky, the water takes to the air, via evaporation, and starts the cycle all over by coming back down as rain to feed the rivers. 

So let us enjoy this epic run off and remember water is the key element that makes the Sierra the beautiful place that it is.  It is under our stewardship so we must fiercely protect it so our children can enjoy it as well.