This is the August 2016 Yosemite Instagram Monthly Review. We celebrated the National Park Service 100 year Anniversary on August 25. A group of park service employees and partners gathered for a ceremony. Superintendent Don Neubacher addressed the crowd. He was also joined by Ranger Gabriel who stole the show. Author Terry Tempest Williams also shared an address about protecting nature that was poignantly moving.

Yosemite also celebrated a major event at Glacier Point in August. The Mariposa Symphony brilliantly performed an historic concert to commemorate the centennial. Les Marsden composed “Our Nation’s Nature”.

2016 has been a special year for me in Yosemite because I was named a Yosemite Centennial Ambassador. My role has been to share photos through social media. I have helped share many of the park’s messages since the program began. Therefore, I have relished my role as a Yosemite steward. Here are some of the most important photos from the YExplore August 2016 Yosemite Instagram page. There are many more on our feed where we have reached 2327 followers. Please follow and share with other IGers to help us build our Instagram audience @yexplore.

August 2016 Yosemite Instagram

All photos taken on an iPhone 6s for July 2016 Yosemite Instagram

Clouds and Cathedral Peak from Lower Cathedral Lake, Yosemite National Park #yosemite #yosemitehighcountry #highcountry #cathedralpeak #landscapephotography #findyourpark #findyouradventure #nps100 #yosemitenationalpark #yosemiteambassador #yexplore

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 1, 2016 at 8:30am PDT

I never got this guy’s name but he was happy to pose on the summit of Half Dome for this photo as I stood on the Visor. I was pleased to take one for him moments later as we switched positions. We never shared names or contact info. Instead, we both were sharing a special moment in peaceful predawn solitude on the most famous peak in Yosemite National Park. I first saw him gaining ground on me as I ascended the Sub Dome before sunrise. His light inspired me to move faster. The competitor in me scaled the cables in full stealth mode with no headlamp so he had no idea where I was. Actually, I wanted to enjoy the first light experience without any artificial interferences. I was able to enjoy about 15 minutes on the summit alone before we shared the silence. I departed once the next group arrived. Having achieved my mission, I was content to exit before the sun made its arrival.

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 8, 2016 at 5:18pm PDT

They found their park then found some peace at Upper Cathedral Lake. #yosemite #nps100 #yosemiteambassador #findyourpark #findyourpeace #yexplore @kmtheim @elizabethbareis

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 9, 2016 at 5:19pm PDT

Window to Wilderness -Remember when #instagram challenged you by fitting your composition into the #square? No visit to Gaylor Lakes is complete without a visit to the mine on Tioga Hill where you will find this cabin window. #yosemite #tiogahill #greatsierramine #gaylorlakes #bringbackthesquare #squareyosemite #gaylorlakes #yosemiteadventures #yosemitenationalpark #yosemiteambassador #findyourpark #findyourmine #nps100 #yexplore

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 13, 2016 at 9:43am PDT

August 2016 Yosemite Instagram

There’s always Half Dome. #yosemite #halfdome #bw #bwphotography #bwlandscape #landscapephotography #landscapes #yosemitenationalpark

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 20, 2016 at 9:49am PDT

Our Nation’s Nature composed by Les Marsden performed by the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra #yosemitenationalpark #yosemite #findyourpark #nps100 #npscentennial

A video posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 21, 2016 at 7:21pm PDT

Still glowing | Privileged doesn’t always have a positive connotation but it’s hard not to feel privileged this morning. Calling Yosemite National Park my office for the past decade is enough to make anyone feel privileged. After spending thousands of hours here, I am still amazed with how unique every experience truly is. Yesterday I woke at 2:30 am to lead another Half Dome hike. Yes, I led this hike more than 100 times, and no it never gets old. We had an amazing group of explorers. Once we arrived at Sub Dome it began to rain. Undeterred, we waited out the light drizzle and ascended the cables when the skies cleared. Our window was temporary but long enough to enjoy some dramatic photos on the summit. I returned to the Valley floor only to rush up to Glacier Point for a once in a lifetime event. My good friend Les Marsden is the conductor for the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra & he composed “Our Nation’s Nature” as a gift to the National Park Service to celebrate 4 anniversaries including this year’s #nps100. It was a performance for the ages. Occasionally, I am able to spend the night in Yosemite Valley. Before work this morning, I passed through Cook’s Meadow & this was the scene. Wildflowers weaved the landscape between Half Dome and Glacier Point as the early sun kissed the Sierra Nevada. It was a truly symbolic composition I felt compelled to capture that also left me feeling privileged. And the day has only just begun. #yosemite #yosemitenationalpark #yosemiteambassador #findyourpark #yexplore

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 22, 2016 at 7:33am PDT

August 2016 Yosemite Instagram

Here’s one more from yesterday’s #nps100 celebration in #yosemitenationalpark. My 2 highlights of the day were taking this photo of Ranger Gabriel who is Yosemite’s greatest ambassador & receiving a hug from author Terry Tempest Williams when I shared how poignant & beautiful her anniversary address was. #yosemite #findyourpark #yosemiteambassador #yexplore

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 26, 2016 at 8:57am PDT

The best part of individuality is seeing the same things a little differently. Mt. Hoffman from Raisin Lake #yosemite #yosemiteadventures #reflections #reflection_perfection #yexplore

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 27, 2016 at 6:28pm PDT

We need to change the way the snack food industry sees our national parks. These tiny corners of wrappers litter the floors of our forests, meadows, & mountain peaks as well as our rivers, streams, lakes, & oceans. It’s time to develop new wrappers that don’t easily tear at the corners to prevent this massive wave of litter from reaching our public lands and disturbing their wildlife habiitat. #stopcuttingcorners #stoppollution #pollution #pollutionfree #savetheplanet #plasticpollution #wrapperseverywhere #protectnature #leavenotrace

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Aug 29, 2016 at 2:48pm PDT

August 2016 Yosemite Instagram

Stopped in El Cap Meadow for a moment on the way out of the Valley. It was the right moment. #yosemite #cathedralrocks #elcapmeadow #sunset_pics #sparkleon #yexplore

A photo posted by YExplore Yosemite Adventures (@yexplore) on Sep 1, 2016 at 10:01am PDT

August 2016 Yosemite Instagram Photos & Videos Courtesy of  http://instagram.com/yexplore

Photographing with a camera phone was once frowned upon as a lazy way out of making an image. With advancing technology, these phones are becoming more integral in everyday “outdoor” life. I am currently using the iPhone 6s with an 12 megapixel camera and will share the world of Yosemite through my phone. – John P. DeGrazio