Autumn Haze, Sabrina Basin. Eastern Sierra Nevada, California. September 25, 2015. © Copyright 2015 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Aspen colors scattered across the rugged granite landscape of Sabrina Basin

This particular view may be a familiar one to many who follow the autumn aspen color in the eastern Sierra Nevada, as Sabrina Basin and, more broadly, the Bishop Creek area, is well-known for extensive groves of aspens. This photograph comes from a point just a bit earlier in the color transition season than most of my photographs of the area, and a close look at some of the more distant ridges reveals extensive color among the smaller, high elevation aspens that typically change colors first. The foreground trees were also more colorful than usual for this late September date, though the afternoon backlight emphasizes the effect.

The Sierra present many different appearances, ranging from gentle meadows full of green grasses and flowing water to the most rugged, spare alpine regions filled with rocks and the hard edges of ridge lines. While an up close view of certain parts of this scene — perhaps from standing within one of the colorful aspen groves in the foreground — would present more of the gentle view, the panorama from this high, exposed location reveals the tremendous world of rugged granite in this part of the range, where the Sierra crest rises quite quickly from the high desert terrain to the east.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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