“Cotswold Trail, Clouds” — Clouds build above a trail through agricultural land in the Cotswolds.
For a hiker like me, with a lifetime of wilderness hiking and backpacking behind him, a “Cotswolds walk” is a new and different experience. I am used to single-person-width trails, usually rocky, and sometimes ascending to quite high elevations. On multi-day trips I have carried everything on my back. But here the trails are gentle, often passing between and through fields and pastures. And you carry only a few supplies for the day’s walk — you simply stop at a grocery or a pub in a small town at lunch time and buy something to eat.
“Wheat Field and Building Clouds” — Thunderheads rise above a Cotswolds wheat field.
If you are following along, it may start to be difficult to follow the itinerary of our late-spring trip to the British Isles. We started in Scotland, spent time in Ireland, then headed to England for about three weeks. The first week in England was spent on a walk between villages in the Cotswolds. We had heard about people doing that, and it sounded fun — and we were able to meet up with relatives who live in Europe.
“Canyon Narrows, Amargosa Range” — A section of narrows in a Death Valley canyon.
You are going to see a fair number of Death Valley canyon photographs here over the next few weeks as I share images from my late February visit to the park. With a few exceptions, the most interesting canyons in the park — and there are many of them! — are less accessible than some of the other famous features. You might have to drive on dirt roads, hike up huge fans and washes, or walk through long sections of less-remarkable valleys to get to the “good stuff.” But the best of them are well worth the effort.
The canyon experience contrasts with the vast distances, intense heat and dryness, and harsh sunlight which we think of as typical in Death Valley. Canyons can be cool and shady and their narrow confines often restrict your views to a few meters. The light is often soft and filtered as it bounces down from high above. As they cut though ridges and mountains he canyons reveal ancient strata. Perhaps best of all, they are often quiet and lonely places where time seems to stop.
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.
“In the Scottish Forest” — A small tree growing in the dense forest on a rainy day on the Great Glen Way, Scotland.
I made this photograph near the end of our May trek along Scotland’s Great Glen Way. It was the final day of our walk, and we would end arrive at Inverness later that day. I think we thought this would be a sort of easy, level and downhill walk to our destination. It started that way, along a narrow country road through fam country, but the sky soon clouded up (hey, it is Scotland!) and before long it began to rain. I saw this tree off to the side as we walked through a particularly dark and wet section of forest.
The rest of the day was a bit odd — though it was not all dark like this photo. The rain continued, mostly light but fairly continuous. Eventually we began to spot buildings on the edge of Inverness through breaks in the trees. Before long the path dropped toward the outskirts of the town, and the hike was more and more along urban sidewalks and paths. Then we missed a sign somewhere and got off route, eventually realizing our mistake and correcting — and before long we crossed the river to downtown Inverness and reached the official end point of the walk.
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.
