White Mountains, Autumn Storm. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
An autumn storm drops snow on the summit of the White Mountains.
Autumn is fascinating time of transition in the Sierra Nevada. One day it can be sunny a warm, with the landscape filled with the golden and brown tones of fall — perhaps the most inviting form of the Sierra landscape. The next day something resembling winter sweeps in, the wind rises and the skies turn gray, and snow falls among the peaks. While summer is the time of easy access to most of the range, I’ve always had a great fondness for autumn in the Sierra — it is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year there.
We had ascended high on the giant fan at the base of the range above Bishop, looking for new perspectives and for aspen groves a bit more off the beaten track. The previous day and night had brought an early weather front through the range, closing some of the passes, and laying down a few inches of snow on the highest regions. From our position we looked back across foothill formations and the Owens Valley toward the immense White Mountains, a range that is just as high as the Sierra, where new snow coated the cloud-covered peaks.
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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
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Thanks!
Like you, I often find that the Whites make a powerful appearance on the east side of Owens Valley… but when I set up the camera to photograph them it often turns out to be very challenging!
Dan
I love this, Dan, but I would. I attempted so many shots of the Whites from across Owens Valley, and never felt like I quite got it, but those perspectives were always inspiring.