This was a slow, quiet Sierra morning. I had set up camp at Tuolumne Meadows the night before, and this was my first early outing of the trip. I headed up Tioga Road before sunrise and decided to cross the pass and visit some favorite areas on the east side of the crest. I started by going up high where I could photograph sunrise light on the highest peaks. After finishing that — and poking around a few interesting nearby spots — I decided to head back down the way I had come.
On the way up I had spotted a few places that might be interesting in better light — peaks block the early sun here, so decent light comes a bit later. I stopped at a meadow in a long valley, grabbed my gear, and spent a bit of time wandering and looking. I saw the grizzled old tree in the left of the frame on a low rise, and I decided to place the peak in the frame to counterbalance it. The peak? Mount Dana, the second highest Yosemite peak, at a bit over 13,000′.
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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.
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