Elevated World
Revitalizing, Rewarding, and Inspiring
Photographs by Logan Maclachlan
Photographer Logan Maclachlan shares his images from a backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, where he experienced freezing temperatures, exhaustion, and a beautiful world.
Sierra Nevada, California, USA
“I went on a week long trip with my friend Emily around the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. We visited places like the Seqouias, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth, and Alabama Hills. Throughout that week, I spent the whole time hiking, camping, backpacking, and taking lots of photos.
The images I captured on this trip were taken in a way to show my personal perspective, and to highlight key parts of the trip. I can’t say that anything specifically inspired me, but when in nature, I tend to be more relaxed and in tune, and ultimamtely take much better photos. There were a lot of physical challenges I had to face throughout the trip, whether it be enduring freezing temperatures, hiking uphill on an icy trail, or setting up a tent in pitch black darkness, everything added to the fun of the trip. There were also a lot of mental challenges as well, but the biggest was easily exhaustion. It was a lot to manage finishing college work and driving and hiking hours on end.
One of my favorite images from the collection is the photo of Emily drinking tea out of a little pot. That was the morning after we had hiked over six miles with 3000ft of elevation gain to a frozen lake in the Seqouias. I love the photo because if I were to flip the camera around and take a selfie, the photo would exactly the same. I’d also be look cold, exhausted, and be drinking hot tea be looking around at the beauty around me.
Its now been almost two months since the trip, and in those two months, I've been home for maybe ten days. I’ve realized that I can be on the road and still manage my real world responsibilities from my laptop. My overall well being and mindset has improved since the trip, and I feel inspired to travel more then ever. I had an incredible time, and the fact nothing went wrong the whole trip made it that much better.
The only thing I would’ve done differently about the the trip, would be to extend it by another week. If I had to describe the trip in three words, it’d be: Revitalizing, Rewarding, and Inspiring. My next big adventure I plan on taking will follow a similar path to this trip, but will go even more north up to Oregon, and will span over 2-3 weeks. I’ve yet to decide if I want to take the coast back home, or the East Sierras. Both are equally beautiful in my eyes, so it’ll be hard to eventually come to my decision.”
