Its dry, hot, dusty, cold, windy, snowy, rainy; unforgiving.  Its big, grandiose, epic, awesome, righteous; spiritual.  The Eastern Sierra kind of rules all of California, reigning over it from the east side and laughing in the face of those in the west who think the trip is too much work; the east doesn’t want you, the east doesn’t need you, and most importantly, the east doesn’t care.

The area in and around Mono Lake is full of secret hot springs, craters, and fourteeners no one has heard of.  It boasts memories of our presence and departure through abandoned towns, mines, cave dwellings and petroglyphs.  This area tells us the story of its history through volcanic shapes and remnants.

The Fissures are a kept secret of the East side; hidden in plain view atop a hill made of volcanic ash just waiting to be explored and treasured.  They are a series of slot canyons 20-50 ft deep and 2-6 ft wide, shaped volcanically telling an intrinsic piece of the geological history of the Eastern Sierras and Mono Lake.  Finding them can be tough but is worth the short jaunt for such a massive reward.

 

All photos taken with 35mm film on a Canon AE-1.