Lake and Rocky Peninsula. Kings Canyon National Park, California. September 12, 2013. © Copyright 2014 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Smooth water behind a small rocky peninsula reflects clouds above a high Sierra back-country lake, Kings Canyon National Park
We stopped at this small lake along the route to and from our destination during our September 2013 nine-day photographic excursion into the high Sierra back-country of Kings Canyon National Park. Between the trailhead and the 11,000′ basin where we camped for nearly a week, there was a 15+ mile hike, two near-12,000′ passes, and a final climb of well over a thousand feet – too far for our party to travel in a single day. So we ended up making a stop here on the inbound and outbound trips. This is a view a few steps away from our campsite near the outlet stream.
My previous visit to this lake had been several decades earlier, back on my very first solo Sierra Nevada backpacking trip. That is a story worth its own lengthy post at some point, but the most striking point may be that I decided that my very first solo trip would be two weeks long! Given that solo backpacking may strike some as a stretch in several ways, a shorter first trip might seem more sensible – but in retrospect I’m glad that I went out for so long. After a few initial days of dealing with the expected “issues” of solo backcountry travel, I got past those concerns and have rarely felt as connected to the natural world as I did during the second half of that trip. At about that point I stopped at this lake on the walk between Bubbs Creek and Rae Lakes, and I recall the next day’s climb to the Pass, where I sat for a long time, in no hurry to leave or get to any place in particular.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
Jim, none of us can still do what we did in the 70’s! I wish! On this trip I gave in, for the first time in my life, to going in with pack animals. (Of course, given that we were going to be base camped for a week, that we were carrying copious amounts of photographic equipment, and that we planned to cross two near-12,000′ passes on the first day… that was probably smart!)
Take care,
Dan
Your closing phrase in the last sentence brings back many memories Dan.
” and I recall the next day’s climb to the Pass, where I sat for a long time, in no hurry to leave or get to any place in particular.”
I no longer can do what I did in the 70’s but the memories are still there.
Thank you.
Regards
JimB