East Slope Canyon, Autumn. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
Autumn aspens carpet the lower reaches of an Eastern Sierra Nevada canyon.
The eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada is remarkable, with peaks rising abruptly by as much as 10,000 feet above the valleys to the east of the range. In summer you might start your morning in what amounts to a high desert town, drive to a 9,000 foot trailhead, and before day ends cross a 12,000 foot pass — or, if you are especially immune to pain, summit a 14,000 foot peak. During most summers you can look up from those valley towns to see such things as snow fields or impressive summer thunderstorms.
Huge canyons cut into these eastern slopes. Most have glacial origins, which are still visible in the form of lateral and terminal moraines extending into the slopes below the base of the range. In fall many of these canyons are carpeted with the (mostly) golden color of transitional aspens, beginning along creeks in the canyon bottoms and ascending the rocky slopes. I have backpacked up this canyon during this period, passing from the larger trees at the trailhead, through dry sagebrush country above, and then through groves of small trees before ascending into the subalpine zone.
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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