Category Archives: Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon

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

Alpine Granite and Trees

July 29, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Afternoon light on a landscape of alpine trees and granite ridges

Four of us camped out in this back-country valley high near the Sierra crest in Kings Canyon National Park, all told spending more than a week in the area. We set up a base camp at the entrance to a beautiful lake-filled basin, and then we gradually pushed out the boundaries of our exploration. During our stay we probably photographed a dozen lakes, and we experienced almost the full range of late-summer Sierra conditions, ranging from beautiful sunny days to days of thunder and lightning and rain.

Late on this beautiful afternoon I headed out on a lazy meander up our valley and past a series of small lakes along a stream coming down from the higher benches and valley. I walked up the valley the last direct light before the sun dropped behind a tall ridge to our west, and near the upper end of the string of lakes I stopped to make a photograph of the banks of this small lake, the surrounding forest, and the granite terrain ascending towards alpine ridges far above.

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

Reflected Granite Bench

July 25, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Soft light on a granite bench and its reflection in a wilderness lake, Kings Canyon National Park

It is hard to believe that three years have passed since this beautiful trip into the Kings Canyon National Park back-country. Four of us schlepped — or more correctly, were schlepped — into a beautiful spot off the main trails where we had the better part of a week to slowly take in beautiful alpine scenery and make photographs.

This was a base-camp photography trip, where we camped in one location and each day wandered out through the spectacular surroundings looking for photographs. Over the time we were there we conditions ranging from typical Sierra sun to rain and rainbows. I made this photograph not far from our camp, and at a time of day before the sun had risen high enough to shine direct light on us — so the water was still, the light was soft.

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

First Light, Trees, Lake, and Ridge

March 30, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Trees along a rock strewn lake as first morning light strikes a southern Sierra Nevada backcountry ridge

This was the scene on the morning of this fifth day or a trip of over a week across the High Sierra Trail, a trip that would eventually summit Mount Whitney before descending the east side of the Sierra. To me, this route feels like it is composed of several distinct sections. The first couple of days are the approach, reaching the first high country from a west side trailhead. The next few of days are the crossing of the Kaweahs and the descent to the ridges above Big Arroyo, a portion of the trip that has the distinct feeling of remoteness and of dropping down to much lower country. Then there is the march up the Kern and the ascent to meet the JMT, followed by the lateral over to a base camp below Whitney, with the finale being the ascent of this ridge and then the long descent to Whitney Portal.

This morning was in that post-Kaweah phase, at our second camp after crossing the Gap. This lake, a bit off the “official” route, is a quiet and forested place with a gentle feeling that contrasts the rough edges of the higher country. We awoke this morning and I was out before dawn, photographing the first light on this high ridge beyond the trees and across the lake.

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

Alpine Lake, Wind, Dusk

March 29, 2016 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening wind on the surface of an alpine lake at dusk

When we reached this lake we were approaching the end of a long trans-Sierra hike on the High Sierra Trail. We had crossed the Kaweahs, descending into the Kern River canyon, ascending to the John Muir Trail and headed south, with the eventual goal being the summit of Mount Whitney and the end of our trip at Whitney Portal at the eastern base of the Sierra.

This little alpine lake is the traditional base camp for hikers heading to the summit of Mount Whitney from the west, a group that includes a number of people nearing the end of the southbound John Muir Trail hikes. It can be a crowded place, with many backpackers (sometimes too many) setting up marginal camps in tiny flat spots among the boulders. In the evening I left my group to wander and do a bit of photography, and as the light faded I lengthened my exposures and allowed the wind to blur the surface of the lake a bit.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Category Archives: Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon

Alpine Granite and Trees

Reflected Granite Bench

First Light, Trees, Lake, and Ridge

Alpine Lake, Wind, Dusk

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.