el dorado forest / woods lake

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Photos and thoughts from a camping trip with some dear friends in the El Dorado National Forest in summer 2018. This was the first time I experienced the magic of the Sierra Nevada and to this day the area is one of my favorite places in California.

trail head to Woods Lake
our groovy cozy campsite for the weekend
campground, summer 2018
Woolly Mule’s Ears
(Wyethia mollis)
Indian Paintbrush
(Castilleja)
Sticky Cinquefoil
(Drymocallis glandulosa)
Western Columbine
(Aquilegia formosa)
Lodgepole Pine
(Pinus contorta)
Alrie introduced me to the world of native California plants and identifying them
Alrie and Louise
hiking along lupine and Indian paintbrush
Nova at her finest
la belle Louise
pines
pinecone ID’s
Alrie at the lake
silver lupine in the morning light
sunshine daydream
summer heat
Sierra Juniper
“People have no idea what time is. They think it’s a line, spinning out from three seconds behind them, then vanishing just as fast into the three seconds of fog just ahead. They can’t see that time is one spreading ring wrapped around another, outward and outward until the thinnest skin of Now depends for its being on the enormous mass of everything that has already died.” – Richard Powers, The Overstory
symphony of the outdoors
It’s hard for me to put into words how much it meant to be able to spend time in nature with the company of two incredible friends and simply observe, appreciate, and enjoy the outdoors while getting to share experiences and perspectives on life, love, career, art, food, travel, and other passions.

I met Alrie and Louise through volunteering at the California Native Garden Foundation in San Jose. Alrie started the foundation with the goals of helping to restore California native plants and ecosystems, especially in urban and developed areas, and assisting low-income families live more healthy and sustainable lives. The foundation also has programs abroad that aim to provide online support and sustainability solutions to global communities. To learn more about the California Native Garden Foundation and their programs, visit their website and consider donating to fund their efforts.

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Published by Hannah Hansen

I am a landscape designer and engineer-in training currently practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. I grew up in Arizona, where I developed a deep appreciation for water and resilient desert landscapes. I obtained my Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University before achieving my Masters degree in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning from UC Berkeley in 2023. I currently practice at Restoration Design Group in West Berkeley, where my work integrates ecological restoration and watershed principles with grading, infrastructure design, and thoughtful site planning. I'm currently pursuing licensure as a professional landscape architect in California and am interested in expanding my work further into the American Southwest. Along with my design practice, I enjoy practicing alternative photography to creatively explore landscape, texture, and light. Photography has challenged me to deepen the way I observe and understand environments and the relationship between people, water, and place. This online portfolio is intended to share my work and to express creativity, curiosity, and appreciation for the environment. I'm always interested in collaborating, whether it be related to landscape and drainage design or a photography project.

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