Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers

by Michael Frye (Photographer), Claudia Welsh (Editor)

The spirit of adventure is alive and well in Yosemite — all one needs to do is walk off and find it. But "adventure" need not mean scaling The Nose of El Capitan. The vast park is simply an adventurous place, with something for everyone. This pocket companion, brimming with Michael Frye's lush photographs paired with inspired quotes, captures the adventurous essence of Yosemite and the sense that something wonderful is waiting just over there. With a foreword by the legendary Royal Robbins, the book features writers, thinkers, and bona fide adventurers,
John Muir
Sir Edmund Hillary
Susan Sontag
Galen Rowell
Bill Bryson
Lynn Hill
Ron Kauk
Walt Whitman
Edward Abbey
Eleanor Roosevelt
Cheryl Strayed
Enid Michael
Renny Russell
Sharon Giacomazzi
Mark Jenkins
Lillian Smith
Pearl S. Buck
Terry Tempest Williams
Alex Lowe
R. Mark Liebenow
Peter Croft
Diane Arbus
T.S. Eliot
Richard Hovey
Wendell Berry
Helen Keller
Norman Clyde
Yvon Chouinard
Scot Miller
Howard Thurman
Robert Browning
Lito Tejada-Flores
Corita Kent
Joseph Campbell
Sigurd F. Olson
Frosty Wooldridge

96 pages, Hardcover

First published June 10, 2014

About the author

I'm a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature.

I live in Mariposa, California, just outside Yosemite National Park with my wife Claudia (our son Kevin is just out of college), and have lived either in or near Yosemite since 1983.

I thoroughly enjoy teaching photography, sharing what I've learned over the years, and helping others express their photographic vision.

You can connect with me on my blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful place! I went there when I was very young, and have to go back. I don’t do rock climbing – maybe I’m not adventurous enough. However, I do love hiking and exploring the outdoors. These pictures are just large enough to affect you. The quotes are well chosen, and are of the kind that inspire and motivate, rather than command. They are from adventurers, for adventurers. The pairing of the words with images is careful, thoughtful. The photographer’s skill is not just in the natural formations, but the light, and states of water – two key ingredients in life. Close-ups of waterfalls look as if the water is moving (!) beyond the fixed page. These photos are to be re-read. For example, mule deer grazing on oak leaves – I had to rewind to see the leaves. Each detail is worth discovering. The start of a trail may not be remarkable for its vista, but is a place we have all been and gone through, the first steps of our adventures. In these times of fires, drought, and other disasters, we must appreciate even more what we have, and do our best to conserve this world for the future.

Note: I won a copy of this title through Goodreads' First Reads.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of being able to go to Yosemite on a cross country family vacation as a young teenager. I loved every second of its beauty. It is a place that feels almost untouched by the destructive hands of man. I will never forget the cabin we stayed in or the famous bear boxes. I am usually taken back to our adventure there by hearing of the horror stories of fires ravaging the land but this is a wonderful book that brought back some great memories in a positive way. Just recently I was talking to 2 different people at different times about how much I would love to go back as an adult with a camera and explore this beautiful place.

I found the irony of it all when I came across the giveaway for this book on Goodreads. Guess what...I ended up winning it Free through Goodreads First Reads.

This book offers stunning photographs and great quotes of encouragement, nature and finding free spirit. I have the desire even more so now to return to Yosemite. Thank you so much to the photographer and the editor for the signed copy and the experience of being able to see this wonderful place again until I can return.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wonder" is admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected, or unfamiliar. Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers captures in images the grandeur of Yosemite's scenery and wildlife. The photographs have been illuminated with quotations such as this one by John Muir.
"The sun shines not on us but in us.
The rivers flow not past, but through us,
thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fibre
and cell of the subsance of our bodies,
making them glide and sing."
Every page of this adventure is an eye-opening view into nature and life. I highly recommend this amazing book!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

Calling this a "read" might be a bit of a stretch, as it is a pocket sized book of pictures and short quotations about making journeys and adventures. Gorgeous photography, though, of Yosemite's craggy peaks, lush forests, lakes, rivers, and diverse wildlife. Very much a sweet, short bit of eye candy, especially for this Midwesterner.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleased and surprised to find this book in my mailbox. It is the first I have won in the Goodreads giveaway program. The photographs are spectacular and I hope that Michael will publish many more books. The quotes he has chosen to define his photos are all spirited and uplifting. Thank you Michael, for sharing your world with me.