Light Show on Pilot Rock in Winter © 2016 Matt Witt
Shine a Light
Pilot Rock
2016 © Matt Witt
Our public lands are a place to commune not just with nature but with each other.
My son and daughter and I have been hiking together since they were old enough to sit in a pack, and backpacking together since they were in their early teens.
Because there is a Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, my son and I were able to celebrate the solstice season by snowshoeing around to the south side of Pilot Rock from Old Highway 99.
The sunlight was filtering through clouds and fog, creating an ever-changing light show on the pristine new snow. Camera in hand, I waited for the clouds to drift into alignment to create this dramatic spotlight on the snow-covered peak.
I had seen Pilot Rock many times from other vantage points and in other seasons, but never with this grandeur. It was a special treat to be able to share this “peak experience” with my son, and it redoubled our commitment to help protect and expand these sorts of opportunities for more people in America and around the world.
Photographer Matt Witt, has contributed photographs of the monument to publish in our Friends of CSNM newsletter, website, and blog during the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument's 15th anniversary year.