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Hooves on the Ground: Onion Valley to Sixty Lake Basin and Col
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Hooves on the Ground: Grand Canyon's Clear Creek Trail and Cheyava Falls
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Hooves on the Ground: Miter Basin
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Hooves on the Ground: Tyee/Midnight/Hungry Packer Lakes, John Muir Wilderness
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Hooves on the Ground: Yosemite's Murphy Creek to Tuolumne Crest in the early season
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Hooves on the Ground: Grand Canyon's Tanner Trail and Escalante Route
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Hooves on the Ground: Mineral King Loop via Timber Gap and Lost Canyon
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Hooves on the Ground: Darwin, Evolution, and Piute Canyons via Lamarck Col and Piute Pass
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Hooves on the Ground: Darwin, Evolution, and Piute Canyons via Lamarck Col and Piute Pass
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Hooves on the Ground: Thousand Island Lake via Rush Creek
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Hooves on the Ground: Grand Canyon's Hermit-Boucher Loop
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Art
Elements of Existence
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Spellbound | Wanderings Through the Witching Hour
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Art
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Hooves on the Ground: Yosemite's Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Old Big Oak Flat Road to El Capitan
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Art
Psyche | Introspections In an Era of Uncertainty
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Art
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Hooves on the Ground: Death Valley Albatross Plane Crash Site
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Hooves on the Ground: High Sierra Trail
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Suspension
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Hooves on the Ground: Nepal
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Hooves on the Ground: Nepal
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Hooves on the Ground: Cottonwood Pass and Lakes Loop (Miter Basin and Mt. Langley)
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Hooves on the Ground: Cottonwood Pass and Lakes Loop (Miter Basin and Mt. Langley)
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Travel
The Troubles We Carry
Art
The Troubles We Carry
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Art
Hooves on the Ground: South Lake to North Lake (Evolution Loop)
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Hooves on the Ground: South Lake to North Lake (Evolution Loop)
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Hooves on the Ground: Grand Canyon
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Travel
Wanderlust: Hiking on Legendary Trails
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Wanderlust: Hiking on Legendary Trails
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Hooves on the Ground: Perú
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Notorious/Glorious
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dearantler turns 3!
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Music Video for Sara Lov's 'Rain Up'
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Art
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Hooves on the Ground: The Palisades
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Hooves on the Ground: Tahoe to Yosemite Along the Pacific Crest Trail
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Strangers On A Trail
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Art

Strangers On A Trail

July 9, 2016

Another year passes and we find ourselves at summer's doorstep once more. California is fortunate to have year-round access to the outdoors -- but even in the land of never-ending exploration opportunities, summer affords special access to some of the most incredible places this state has on offer. Among these are the Sierra Nevada Mountains -- the Range of Light, as John Muir called it. At 400 miles long -- from Tehachapi Pass in Kern County, to Fredonyer Pass in Lassen County -- the Sierra is home to three national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon), 20 wilderness areas, and many other iconic features, including Lake Tahoe and Mount Whitney. 

Many consider the John Muir Trail to be the crown jewel of this spectacular mountain range. Even a well-traveled buck like me would be hard pressed to find a land to match its awe-inspiring magnificence. And so, with summer here once again, we pay homage to this stunning 220-mile ribbon of trail in the hopes of inspiring others to breathe its therapeutic air, see its exhilirating sites and feel its recuperative effects. 

E+J hiked the trail in 2015, documenting the experience in detail in this travelogue. But for this wily duo, the process of interpreting such a transformative experience is not complete without creating their own visual narrative -- hence the works presented in this latest show. Since a relative few make the trek, we attempt to bring the trail to you, showing you vignettes of the trail's many highlights.

Like all past dearantler exhibits, this one borrows its title from a Hitchcock film. As many who love the outdoors do, E+J make their home everywhere they go, approaching a strange and unexplored place and immediately becoming acquainted with it. Backpackers also enjoy the freedom of quickly and deeply connecting with fellow travelers in the backcountry -- skipping over the inhibitions and social norms that are second nature in the city. Instead, they bond over shared visceral experiences, as they automatically know that the strangers they just met have experienced many of the same challenges and rewards. I've heard this special relationship described this way: people you will encounter on the trail are just friends you haven't yet met. Strangers On A Trail honors the process of moving seamlessly from being a stranger to becoming a friend of people and land alike. 

One of the scenic Rae Lakes in Kings Canyon National Park

One of the scenic Rae Lakes in Kings Canyon National Park

A inquisitive marmot at Trail Crest, near Mt. Whitney

A inquisitive marmot at Trail Crest, near Mt. Whitney

Rhythm of Forms - Writing with light in the Range of Light

Defined literally, photography is "writing with light." The jaw-dropping landscapes of the Sierra Nevada change their character hourly with the angle, color and density of the light that bathes them, making each moment, and thus each photographic opportunity, distinct. In the same way that Claude Monet spent years exploring how light conditions transformed Notre Dame cathedral or the haystacks, photographers find themselves drawn to the Sierras' ever-changing character to capture a moment that may never again be repeated. 

Edith's photo collection offers a peek into varied moments spent on the John Muir Trail. Treated with a warm saturation reminiscent of early hand-tinted photographs, it reminds the viewer that while the light constantly changes the character of the backcountry, it is a space that remains otherwise relatively unchanged despite modernity's urgent demands. Here, time passes as it did a hundred or a thousand years ago, dictated by the rising and setting of the sun each day. 

Forester Pass

Daydreaming - Six landmarks on the JMT

Jolly's painted masterpieces combine whimsy and grandeur to create unique interpretations of some of the trail's most iconic landmarks -- including Half Dome, Rae Lakes and the Mount Whitney summit. The highly stylized works in acrylic and mixed media reduce the landscape to a few dramatic elements, beckoning the viewer to travel through their sparse and intentional placement. Vibrant colors and a perspective as if we were floating just above the scene create an inviting space for us to experience.

Our characters (E+J) appear in each scene, and as the viewer you are invited to accompany our travelers as a witness and participant. A celestial object also appears in each piece, as if guiding our travelers. Is it the sun? Is it the moon? It's up to you to decide. Jolly chose the title -- Daydreaming -- both because the experience of thru-hiking the JMT is surreal in the moment, and because it stays with a hiker like a daydream long after leaving the trail. 

In Art Tags Eastern Sierra, John Muir Trail, John Muir Wilderness, Yosemite, Kings Canyon, hiking, Backpacking, Thru-hiking, Art, Photography, painting, mixed media, camping, Mount Whitney
← Hooves on the Ground: Tahoe to Yosemite Along the Pacific Crest TrailThe Horizon Vanishes →
Dear Antlerby Jedediah Cornelius Antler"The buck stops here."The advice and musings of the swankiest eight-point buck you'll ever meet.

Dear Antler

by Jedediah Cornelius Antler

"The buck stops here."

The advice and musings of the swankiest eight-point buck you'll ever meet.


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blog
Hooves on the Ground: Onion Valley to Sixty Lake Basin and Col
about 10 months ago
Hooves on the Ground: Grand Canyon's Clear Creek Trail and Cheyava Falls
about a year ago
Hooves on the Ground: Miter Basin
about a year ago
Hooves on the Ground: Tyee/Midnight/Hungry Packer Lakes, John Muir Wilderness
about a year ago
Hooves on the Ground: Yosemite's Murphy Creek to Tuolumne Crest in the early season
about a year ago
Hooves on the Ground: Grand Canyon's Tanner Trail and Escalante Route
about 2 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: Mineral King Loop via Timber Gap and Lost Canyon
about 2 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: Darwin, Evolution, and Piute Canyons via Lamarck Col and Piute Pass
about 3 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: Thousand Island Lake via Rush Creek
about 3 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: Grand Canyon's Hermit-Boucher Loop
about 4 years ago
Elements of Existence
about 4 years ago
Spellbound | Wanderings Through the Witching Hour
about 4 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: Yosemite's Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and Old Big Oak Flat Road to El Capitan
about 4 years ago
Psyche | Introspections In an Era of Uncertainty
about 5 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: Death Valley Albatross Plane Crash Site
about 5 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: High Sierra Trail
about 5 years ago
Suspension
about 6 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: Nepal
about 6 years ago
Hooves on the Ground: Cottonwood Pass and Lakes Loop (Miter Basin and Mt. Langley)
about 6 years ago
The Troubles We Carry
about 7 years ago

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