High Sierra Trail, Big Arroyo

September 3, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

The High Sierra Trail crosses a small stream as it begins to climb out of Big Arroyo toward the Chagoopa Plateau.

On this day our route traveled from the old cabin in Big Arroyo out to Moraine Lake on the Chagoopa Plateau. This section of trail was near the start of the day’s walk as we began our climb out of the Arroyo, through a trail section that was often under forest cover and was crossed frequently by small creeks. I’ve been across this trail section more than once, and this time I managed to avoid being surprised by the climb. When you arrive in Big Arroyo from Kaweah Gap the view convinces you that you have nothing but downhill between there and the Kern Canyon – but you are quite wrong. The trail does follow the bottom of the Arroyo for a few miles, but then it climbs – more steadily and more steeply than you might think – up the east side of the valley to reach the flat area of Chagoopa Plateau.

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Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Two Snags – Big Arroyo

September 2, 2008 G Dan Mitchell 5 Comments

Black and white photograph of two trailside snags above Big Arroyo with Great Western Divide in the distance, Sequoia National Park, California.

This photograph was made on Sequoia National Park’s High Sierra Trail as it climbs out of Big Arroyo and onto the Chagoopa Plateau before eventually dropping down into the depths of the Kern Canyon.

I was in full “head down and climbing the trail” mode when I almost walked right past these trailside snags, but my friend Ernie fortunately pointed them out to me. Ernie’s not really a photographer – though he takes far more great photos of fellow backpackers than I – but he notices a lot on the trail. He was the champion at running into wildlife on the August 2008 High Sierra Trail trip, typically managing to discover a couple rattlesnakes each day and on another day discovering a small mammal that the rest of us had never seen in the Sierra.

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Photographs: Ocean & Coast

Point Reyes

September 1, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Color photograph of Point Reyes and the Pacific Ocean with afternoon reflections. This photograph was made in extraordinarily windy conditions from a high point a bit further along the bluffs of the point with late afternoon sunlit brightly illuminating the ocean surface. (There is also a black and white version of this photograph.)

keywords: california, national, seashore, coast, cliff, bluff, mountain, park, pacific ocean, spring, point reyes, sea, shore, wild, nature, sky, haze, distance, travel, landscape, seascape, stock

Commentary, Photographers

The ‘Crack of Dawn’?

August 31, 2008 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Being a San Francisco Bay Area resident, I’m aware of the work of Chronicle/SFGate photographer Frederic Larson, especially his “Mystical Photography” photoblog that features daily photographs from around the Bay. (He does get around the Bay Area, and often before the rest of us are even up in the morning!)

But I just have to wonder about today’s image and its title. That’s all I’ll say. Well, except for, “groan….”

G Dan Mitchell Photography

High Sierra Trail, Big Arroyo

Point Reyes

The ‘Crack of Dawn’?

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