Photos by karlbaba

John Bachar surveys his next climb. 11a solo in back of Hidden Valley in 2006

John Bachar in Joshua Tree 2006. Climb High John

John Bachar on Jerry Brown in Joshua Tree 2006. Climb High John

The newest image in my El Cap Gallery

Just after digging myself out of the snow in Yosemite.

This Boulder off PhraNang Beach in Thailand is probably harder in low tide! You can see more shots of Thailand 2005 in my Thai Gallery.

Happy Island off PhraNang Beach in Thailand has a few sport climbs, some moderate. You can see more shots of Thailand 2005 in my Thai Gallery.

Spring 2005 brought lots of water and flowers. Here the Cathedral Spires rise above Irises in El Cap Meadow You can see more shots of Yosemite 2005 in my Spring Gallery.

Spring 2005 brought melted snow and high water to Yosemite Valley. Here, Middle Cathedral Rock is reflected in El Cap meadow. You can see more shots of Yosemite 2005 in my Spring Gallery.

Spring 2005 brought melted snow and high water to Yosemite Valley. Here, Yosemite Falls is reflected in a flooded meadow. You can see more shots of Yosemite 2005 in my Spring Gallery.

Spring 2005 brought melted snow and high water to Yosemite Valley. Here, Yosemite Falls is reflected in a flooded meadow. You can see more shots of Yosemite 2005 in my Spring Gallery.

Cranking the beyond steep stuff next to the Freedom Bar at Ton Sai Thailand just as the sun is getting ready to set. I lost this Canadian climber's name. Email me if you have name or contact info for him so I can get him some pics.

I've been trying to encourage folks to visit Thailand so I thought I'd post a shot or two. Read my appeal to Visit including links and pictures Also Read my 1998 Trip Report

I thought it would be nice to post an overview of Railay West in Thailand as I am encouraging folks to visit Thailand this season if possible to help the local economy which suffers after the recent Tsunami. Read my appeal to Visit including links and pictures

My Friend Lummox finishing on Crest Jewel on the Second Ascent of Crest Jewel Direct. See more Yosemite Panoramas Here The beautiful clouds also made the ascent more exciting. Fortunately, it never did rain. Happy New Year RC.com!

This Valley View is one of my signature shots. To get the whole valley and reflection is very technical because, even with a 28 mm lens, I have to stitch 3 or 4 shots together to encompass it all. See more Valley Landscape Shots in my Yosemite Landscape Gallery

Stormy Weather can be beautiful, particularly in you're taking pictures and not rockclimbing. Here is the buttress of Tenaya Peak, a route that has become popular recently but used to be totally obscure. Check out other images in my High Country Gallery.

The Cathedral Rocks and Cathedral Spires in Autumn of 2004. Lot of good climbing there but a little too shady for this time of year. Check out other images in my Autumn Gallery.

Pilgrim walk over 10 miles, sometimes barefoot in the snow, to get to the temple of Kedarnath, situated at the base of fantastic Himalayan Peaks. Check out my Gallery of Images from India.

Lenticular Cloud over Machupuchare from 1986. This is a higher res version of one I submitted a long time ago. Borrowed a 4000 dpi scanner and went wild. See more Photos from my Nepal/Ladakh Gallery.

The Big Stone Reflected in the Merced River in Fall of 2004. See more El Cap shots in my El Cap Gallery

Cathedral Peak is, for many, the heart of Yosemite. Here it is reflected in Upper Cathedral Lake. Check out more Cathedral Images in my High Country Gallery

April of 2004 had ripping wildflowers. There was an orgy of plant genitalia exposed. This is a panorama of three vertical shots spliced together. I submitted another shot from further South earlier but thought maybe this one was nicer

April of 2004 had ripping wildflowers. There was an orgy of plant genitalia exposed. Here's Echo Rock with flowers

In late May of 1986 I did a trip to the temple of Kedarnath. There was a bit of unexpected snow. The pilgrims heading to the temple walked over 10 miles up to it. Some Barefoot!

In late May of 1986 I did a trip to the temple of Kedarnath. There was a bit of unexpected snow. The pilgrims heading to the temple walked over 10 miles up to it. Some Barefoot!

Susan and I took a roadtrip down the coast and thought we'd check this place out. Fun! Whales swam by, and there were babes on the beach. and speaking of babes, I'm not allowing comments on this one! Peace karl

On my way back from getting snowed on hard during a Christmas Nepal Trek in 1986, I was treated to some beautiful clouds and sunsets. This one's over Annapurna (10th highest Mountain and Hindu goddess of Food)

On my way back from getting snowed on hard during a Christmas Nepal Trek in 1986, I was treated to some beautiful clouds and sunsets. This one's over Annapurna (10th highest Mountain and Hindu goddess of Food)

Maybe if I post a lot of pictures of EL Cap, it will be kind to me when I head back up there. It's a beautiful piece of stone that looks different from many different angles.

This Sunset over Dhauligiri in Nepal Blew my mind. I'm finally got a scanner to post some slides I took on Himalayan trips years ago. Enjoy!

The reflection of El Cap in the Merced River is one of my favorite shots to take. I have dozens of versions of the same shots over different years and season. I can't resist posting a few here. This one is just a couple days after the previous two that I posted (one got posted by mistake, that's why there so many!)

The reflection of El Cap in the Merced River is one of my favorite shots to take. I have dozens of versions of the same shots over different years and season. I can't resist posting a few here. This was on the same day as the first shot.

The reflection of El Cap in the Merced River is one of my favorite shots to take. I have dozens of versions of the same shots over different years and season. I can't resist posting a few here.

Run for your Life is a fantastic Face route in Joshua tree. The pro is OK by Josh Standard but you're relieved when you make the fiirst couple clips. SusanJoy likes this type of stuff and here assumes one of those slab climbing only positions.

It's a beautiful fall in Yosemite right now. This photo is from last autumn when El Cap is clearly refected in the Merced River

Reed's Direct is one of the steepest, most physical 5.9 hand cracks you will ever do. It's a major classic and, situated on a crag high above the canyon floor, seems higher than a cragging pitch.

The first Pitch of Bircheff-Williams is one of the purest stems anywhere. It's rated 11b but Hans Florine told us that he thinks it's a huge sandbag. While the first few pitches are the best, the higher pitches aren't as classic.

Duran on his first wall, the Prow on Washington Column. Here He finally gets to relax and belay me in comfort while I fix a pitch above our bivy before dinner. The Prow has a great view of Half Dome.

Duran on his first wall, the Prow on Washington Column. Here he finishes the jumar at a ledge that will include a little tangled scrambling to the belay

Javier shot this one of me on the Forth pitch of the East Buttress of El Cap. A classic long route on the East Edge of El Cap. read a trip report of my solo adventure on this climb.

I was blessed to witness this beautiful sunset on July 5, 2001. I'm posting it on Sept 11, 2003 as a gift to fellow climbers since rainbows always seem to convey hope to me. I posted a sister picture on Sept. 11 last year. Enjoy. To see more photos of this day read the trip report.

This was the view of El Cap from Dewey Point this winter. It's an easy but fun ski from Badger Pass.

Susan Joy following the wonderful nightstalker route on Owl Rock. It was part of our 2003 camper van roadtrip.5.9

Brian and I had both the done Prow 20 years ago (separately, I had soloed it back then) This time we got it clean.

Bruce is on the final 10 section of Son of Yesterday. It doesn't feel like 10a if you walk on the crack rather than hang from it.

Bruce is on the 5.8 Offwidth at the top of Sons of Yesterday, a classic 10a 6 pitch route on top of Serenity Crack. The 5.8 is about as easy as offwidth gets so don't worry!

Bruce is on the 10d crux of Serenity Crack. The jams are good but don't fiddle with pro for long or you'll be long gone!

Bruce is on the 5.8 Offwidth at the top of Sons of Yesterday, a classic 10a 6 pitch route on top of Serenity Crack. The 5.8 is about as easy as offwidth gets so don't worry!

The Cathedral Spires are classic for their amazing summits. Much of the climbing isn't as spendid as Yosemite climbing gets but the setting makes them worthwhile adventures.