I returned last night from a four-day pack trip into the Lyell Canyon/Vogelsang HSC area of the Yosemite back-country, and the signs of the coming fall are numerous.
- Perhaps most apparent is the smaller number of people in the back-country! Although I traveled some quite popular trails I saw only a small number of backpackers. Ah, post Labor Day in the Sierra – my favorite time!
- Many of the annual plants are dying and turning shades of brown, yellow, and gold. The mule ears have almost all lost their summer green color, the leaves of plants around treeline are beginning to turn yellow and red, and almost all of the grasses have gone to seed and turned golden-brown.
- Although there has not yet been a real early fall storm, the weather pattern is starting to show signs of approaching weather systems.
- The leaves of a few aspen trees are beginning to change colors. I haven’t been to the “east side” since mid-August, but in Yosemite I saw a very small number of yellow aspen leaves on trees along Yosemite Creek just yesterday.
- Even some of the lower elevation plants are changing – also yesterday, I saw red leaves of some of the dogwood trees along highway 120 just inside Yosemite.
Ah, Lyle Canyon, that’s a really nice place to go and as you said at this time of year. Yep, I too enjoy seeing the grasses turn yellow as summer transitions to fall. When my friends and I came down the main trail in LLV yesterday there were tons of people. the parking lot at mosquito flats was full as well as the overflow areas down the road. I couldn’t believe the number of people seeing as it was after labor day. Fortunately we stayed in the hidden lakes area where there was no one to be seen. Just had to endure the masses for a bit.
Lyell is a very pleasant place – almost completely level and filled with golden meadows in late summer and early fall, and a fine place to see wildlife including lots of deer and the coyotes who serenaded me!
Your report on the number of people is interesting. While I didn’t see a huge number in the backcountry, I was somewhat surprised at the number of day-hikers and other visitors. I had forgotten that I’m not the only one who aims for a post-Labor Day visit! In the next week or so I’m sure we’ll far fewer in the back-country.
By the way Dan, have you tried out the Topaz Adjust plugin for Photoshop?
http://www.topazlabs.com/adjust/
I purchased the bundle but mostly I am playing with Adjust right now and wow, this software kicks! I’m amazed at the control it gives you. I just took an HDR image I was never happy with and it brought it alive in a snap. I hate to be sap for any company but this is good software! I’m digging it. :-)
Cynthia
Well darn, Dan, I think you are right. I won’t be able to spend more than several days there though during that first full week in October. I need to be back here for the weekend and then I have an engagement up in Berkeley at Cal on Monday, the 12th. I’m going to be busy the first half of October but if I can catch some fall color while I am there, I’ll be happy! And thank you for the tips. I purchased software from Fred Miranda in the past but I had forgotten about the site and I didn’t even know about the forum there. I’ve bookmarked it and I will be watching it. Thanks!!!
Cynthia
Well, darn, Cynthia – I guess you are just going to obligated to take a vacation… in the eastern Sierra… right about the peak of aspen season! ;-)
If you are on any of the other photo discussion sites (fred miranda’s landscape forum, etc.) you might watch for messages about impromptu meetups on the east side. Last year I briefly met up with a group at Whoa Nellie Deli (the source of those fish tacos) and people shared photos and news of where the aspens were peaking.
If things go as they often do, that first weekend of October could be pretty much prime time. You might try getting there a few days before the weekend and then staying a day or two into the next week. That weekend I expect the eastern Sierra will be crawling with photographers – some of us flying solo and scores of others as part of workshops – and it might be nice to escape the weekend crowds just a bit.
Dan
Well, my employer is asking us to use up as much vacation time this year as possible so as to help out the bottom line and I guess I will use up a week during the first full week of October. So I imagine you can guess what I am going to do with a few of those days. I can’t afford the whole week but I plan to go camp out in my usual haunts in Lee Vining, Bishop, and Lone Pine and try again to get some nice pictures of the fall colors and the Eastern Sierra in general. I still haven’t made any reservations yet but maybe I’ll get that done this weekend. Could be good! And besides, I’d like to try the fish tacos at the Whoa Nellie Deli. And I’d like to enjoy another glass of wine on the deck of the Whiskey Creek Restaurant in Bishop, and grab dinner there again too. And of course, when I’m not out shooting, I’d like to stop into the Mountain Light Gallery again for some inspiration and I would love to get some sunrise shots from some spots around Bishop where Galen took some of his best selling shots. And lest I forget, I have to make it up to the Bishop Creek area and North Lake and …
Anyway, you know the drill better than I but I’m learning!