Tag Archives: conness

Meadow, Storm Clouds

Meadow, Storm Clouds
“Meadow, Storm Clouds” — Sunlight in a meadow as storm clouds build near the Sierra Nevada crest, Hoover Wilderness

After an absence from the Sierra during some 2023 international travel, I was anxious to get back up there again. Shortly after our return I headed to the mountains for a few days of high country camping and photography. By then it was late in the season and the first hints of cold-season weather fronts were arriving — there was “interesting weather” during much of my visit.

I made this photograph as I headed up a drainage in the Eastern Sierra along the western edge of Yosemite National Park. (The distant peaks mark the park’s boundary.) Clouds shrouded the peaks, and some light snow had fallen. The wind was blowing and cloud shadows moved rapidly across the landscape. I set up and waited, and made this photograph as light hit the meadows just in front of me and illuminated the distant ridge.


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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Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow

Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow
The shoreline of an alpine lake and alpenglow on Yosemite backcountry peaks.

Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The shoreline of an alpine lake and alpenglow on Yosemite backcountry peaks.

Over the years I have visited this lake many times. I feel like I know it pretty well now, but I still discover new things each time I go there. My first visit was on a very long day hike in the early fall, in golden light and cooler temperatures. After that I made it a backpacking destination quite a few times, and from here I explored other higher lakes nearby.

On the trip when I made this photograph I had gone earlier in the season to set up a photography base camp. From here I hiked daily to higher lakes, where I photographed more alpine country. A special feature of this location is that it lies on the west side of a ridge running somewhat north-south, with a completely open vista to the west. Late in the day this landscape fills with colorful sunset 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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Alpine Lake and Sierra Crest Peaks

Alpine Lake and Sierra Crest Peaks
The peaks of the Sierra Nevada crest tower above a reflecting alpine lake

Alpine Lake and Sierra Crest Peaks. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

The peaks of the Sierra Nevada crest tower above a reflecting alpine lake

This photograph is another from the northeast boundary country around Yosemite National Park — the park starts on the far side of the high ridge. I’ve always thought that his area deserves inclusion in the park since the scenery is as spectacular as inside the park, and today most of it is wilderness. I haven’t researched this, but I suspect that the explanation may have two parts. First, the crest of the Sierra was an obvious place to draw a boundary. Second, mining took place in this area, something that always makes the establishment of a park more complicated. That mining ended a long time ago, but you can still find traces.

This is the same lovely subalpine lake I wrote about earlier. I hiked here early in the morning, hitting the trail at dawn, and spent more than an hour slowly exploring this spot and making photographs. The air was still at times, so the reflections of the rugged and rocky ridge was often rather clear, and the symmetry of the reflected image was remarkable.


See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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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Evening Light, Sierra Crest

Evening Light, Sierra Crest
Soft evening light on Mount Conness, in the distance beyond Tenaya Lake

Evening Light, Sierra Crest. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Soft evening light on Mount Conness, in the distance beyond Tenaya Lake

I’ve been (mostly) off the grid since early this past week while spending four days in the high country in and around Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows. (Tuolumne Meadows used to have poor cell service. It now seems to have none at all, which is a mixed blessing.) This being July, there was a lot of interesting stuff to see in the Sierra — there is still plenty of flowing water (at least for this low-precipitation year), most meadows are still lushly green, and the wildflowers are spectacular. While there are plenty of people up there — and, it seems, more every year — the August crush of high country tourists hasn’t yet arrived. Evidence? I was able to walk up to the kiosk and get a campsite in the middle of the day.

Weather was sometimes a challenge. Clouds are both a blessing and a curse when photographing the high country. Most often they are plus, given that the Sierra can be “afflicted” by successive days of boring blue skies at times. On the other hand, it is certainly possible to have too much of a good thing, and at times the welcome “interesting” weather evolved into somewhat “blah” light. However, it is common for moments of special light to appear out of the blah conditions, and I was treated to several such instances on this trip. (One of them may soon be the genesis of an article on knowing when to stay and wait and when to move on.) On this evening I suspected that late light might cut through the haze and create some dramatic effects on the distant Mount Conness from this familiar location, so I headed straight there late in the day.


See top of this page for Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information and more.

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 | LinkedIn | Email


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