Category Archives: Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Snags and Mountains

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Snags and Mountains
Trailside snags to the east of the Great Western Divide in the Sequoia National Park backcountry

Snags and Mountains. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Trailside snags to the east of the Great Western Divide in the Sequoia National Park backcountry

This is another of the photographs from the 2008 trip that I mentioned in an earlier post — a trans-Sierra crossing with friends via the High Sierra Trail. The route, while less known that the John Muir Trail (and shorter) crosses the Sierra from west to east, connecting the west side in Sequoia National Park with Mount Whitney and then Whitney Portal on the east side. The route provides a tremendous cross-section of the Sierra. It starts not far from middle-elevation redwood groves on the west side, follows the gigantic canyon of the Kaweah River to cross the Great Western Divide at Kaweah Gap, drops down into Big Arroyo to reach the depths of Kern Canyon, follows the Kern upstream, climbs steeply to the John Muir Trail, passes through the alpine boundary and then into alpine country to ascend Mount Whitney, and ends with the immense descent from the crest to Whitney Portal.

I made this photograph in the Big Arroyo section of the trail. We had cleared Kaweah Gap and camped in the valley below and were climbing above the Big Arroyo canyon in preparation for a short side-trip to Moraine Lake. This low ridge provided extensive views down Big Arroyo, up into the Kaweahs to our left and behind us, and across the canyon to the Great Western Divide.

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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” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Alpine Tarns

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Alpine Tarns
Alpine tarns at the base of talus slopes, Kings Canyon National Park

Alpine Tarns. Kings Canyon National Park, California. September 15, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Alpine tarns at the base of talus slopes, Kings Canyon National Park

The meaning of the term “tarn” is somewhat varied. Two technical definitions I’ve heard include (rather precisely) a small lake in a depression scooped out by glacial action, or (more informally perhaps) simply any very small body of mountain water too small to qualify as a real lake. Yes, that’s pretty subjective! Aside from their tendency to produce mosquitos, I love tarns, and I especially love areas where they are embedded in a rocky landscape broken by small meadows and occasionally trees.

I photographed this spot with its tarns (or small lakes, if you prefer) in shaded, soft light. There was sun, but it was low enough in the sky that its direct light was blocked by a tremendous rocky ridge to our west. Down here at the base of the small valley where we camped, everything was quiet and soft, including the light.

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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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Morning Light on Trees

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Morning Light on Trees
Morning light glances across high elevation trees, Kings Canyon National Park

Morning Light on Trees. Kings Canyon National Park, California. September 17, 2013. © Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Morning light glances across high elevation trees, Kings Canyon National Park

Back in 2013 a small group of us spent roughly a week camped in a beautiful 11,000′ basin in Kings Canyon National Park, photographing a remarkable area of many lakes, intimate landscapes of trees and tarns and granite, and high and desolate ridges and peaks. Such a long stay in one area reveals things about the landscape that are too easily missed on shorter visits, and it gives us the opportunity to photograph in conditions ranging from storms to sunlight.

At the start of such a long trip, despite having made quite a few of them, there is always a bit of concern about spending such a long time in such a small area — “How will I find enough to photograph over such a long time?” This thought crosses my mind still, even though I know that on every previous long trip I have found myself wishing for more time at the end! This photograph comes from my final day of photography in this area, and very soon after I made it we were heading back out to what passes for the “real world.”

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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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Alpine Rain

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Alpine Rain
Midday rain at alpine Sierra Nevada lakes, Kings Canyon National Park

Alpine Rain. Kings Canyon National Park. September 13, 2013. Copyright 2013 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Midday rain at alpine Sierra Nevada lakes, Kings Canyon National Park

Back in 2013 a small group of us escaped to a lake-filled basin high in the Kings Canyon National Park backcountry, in a location not that far from the crest. We set up camp at 11,000′ and spent most of a week exploring and photographing the surrounding region.

There are many differences between quickly photographing such a place as you pass by and lingering over it for a week. Most obviously, we had time to slowly meander across the landscape, looking for and finding things that would escape the notice of a more hurried visitor. In addition, conditions change over such a time period, especially this late in the summer. We had beautiful blue sky days and warmth, and we also had days with wind and clouds and rain. This was mixed day. When I headed out there was a combination of clouds and sun, but before long I could see rain working its way up the valley. Sure enough, it arrived as I photographed.

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.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.