Sunset light over the waterfall at Evolution Lake’s outlet in Evolution Basin, Kings Canyon National Park.

The Reason

Evolution Lake, Kings Canyon National Park, California

My tent stood twenty feet from this waterfall, on a ledge where Evolution Lake pours off the shelf — the best campsite of 238 miles, found at the end of a faint use path behind a hill. I shot straight into the falling sun, bracketed, and blended the exposures later. When people ask why anyone carries a tripod and a full-frame camera across the Sierra on foot, this frame is the shortest answer I have.

Nikon Z 7_2 · 17-35mm f/2.8D · 17mm · f/5 · 1/100 · ISO 31

July 8, 2025

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View through the stone window of the Muir Hut over the barren lake country north of Muir Pass.Black and white photo of southbound hikers walking the barren shore of Wanda Lake toward Muir Pass.Dark deep water of Sapphire Lake beneath a sheer granite wall in Evolution Basin, black and white.Marie Lake’s island-dotted blue water from the Selden Pass trail at midday, John Muir Wilderness.Black and white photo aboard the Edison Queen ferry crossing Lake Edison, Captain Paint at the helm on the left.Long exposure of Lake Edison at night from Vermilion Valley Resort, mountains mirrored in still water.