ACROSS THE WILDERNESS

Children and The Wilderness

Last summer,  in California, my family and I travelled about 1500 miles across vast open spaces, the scale of which we rarely have seen this side of the Atlantic. In the photos shown here, you can see, from Yosemite to Mono Lake , my twin daughters Leila and Talia going about their exploration of the spaces we visited.  Living in a big city, our values for green spaces remain elusive. It is difficult to define the benefits of nature and may seem impossible to evaluate their loss but what we encountered there is this 'tamed' wilderness is what our lives are not: quiet, unhurried and full of wonder.

Along the Merced River, Yosemite(1&2) - © Leslie Hakim-Dowek 2012

Along the Merced River, Yosemite(3) / Leila on Boulder Rock - © Leslie Hakim-Dowek 2012

Across the Valley, Yosemite - © Leslie Hakim-Dowek 2012

Talia Playing on Tree / Deer in the Woods, Yosemite- © Leslie Hakim-Dowek 2012

Talia in the Burnt-Out Forest - © Leslie Hakim-Dowek 2012

Collecting Rocks / Leila at Mono Lake- © Leslie Hakim-Dowek 2012

Mono Lake - © Leslie Hakim-Dowek 2012