Tag Archives: john

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Meadow, Stream, Evening

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Meadow, Stream, Evening
A stream meanders through a subalpine meadow on its way to a lake, John Muir Wilderness

Meadow, Stream, Evening. John Muir Wilderness, California. September 1, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A stream meanders through a subalpine meadow on its way to a lake, John Muir Wilderness

This photograph is the final one (for now, at least) in a series that takes me back to late summer, high in the eastern Sierra Nevada, base-camped for over a week with friends and extensively photographing the surrounding area. A group of us does this almost every summer, so a good thing is made even better through the combination of time devoted to beautiful photographic subjects, time spent in these stunning places, and time spent with good friends. We say we are there to photograph – and we certainly are! — but the truth is that we also spend a lot of time hanging out, talking, and just being.

I made the photograph on the last evening before our planned departure the next day to return to what passes for the real world. The location is a meadow right below our campsite, which was hidden in trees up on the hill of an old moraine. Strangely, even though we were camped right next to this wonderful spot I had not really focused my attention on photographing it, often instead wandering off to more distant subjects. On the final days of the trip it occurred to me that I should finally spend some time in this spot right in the neighborhood! So, late in the day on the final evening of the trip, off I went to walk slowly along the edge of “our” lake, crossing small inlet streams and traversing the surrounding meadows.

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: Sierra Nevada

High Peaks, Evening Light

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High Peaks, Evening Light
Rugged peaks tower above canyons and glaciated ridges, John Muir Wilderness

High Peaks, Evening Light. John Muir Wilderness, California. August 28, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Rugged peaks tower above canyons and glaciated ridges, John Muir Wilderness

This set of peaks is bound to figure in quite a few of the photographs that I’ll be sharing from our recent extended backcountry photography trip into the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra Nevada. Because we were located on a high, open bench directly across the canyon from them they were a constant presence, visible virtually anywhere we walked.

This photograph was made from a location a few hundred feet higher than our camp. Ascending the valley above our camp revealed more and more spectacular country — large high meadows full of wildflowers, a steam winding down the mountainside and pooling in a small tarn in the middle of a meadow, and above that access to the whole upper basin. I made this photograph late in the day after climbing up the slopes a bit to get some elevation on the glaciated moraine and forest below, opening up the views to the south into this rugged area of valleys and ridges.

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: Sierra Nevada

High Country Meadow and Trail

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High Country Meadow and Trail
A use trail cuts across a subalpine meadow high in the John Muir Wilderness

High Country Meadow and Trail. John Muir Wilderness, California. August 28, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A use trail cuts across a subalpine meadow high in the John Muir Wilderness

Earlier this afternoon we left our camp down at a lower lake and headed off into higher country. I followed a use trail up to a moraine ridge, then passed over a section of beautiful meadow with stunning views of surrounding peaks and closer views of late-season wildflowers. From here I simply followed the watershed up the valley a ways until a decent stream crossing presented itself, and from there I wandered across glaciated slabs to the top of a low ridge separating our valley from another containing several lakes.

It was late in the day, so the time available for lingering on the ridge was limited. I soon spotted Patty traversing a lower section of the slabs and I headed down to join her. We continued down to the creek where we had a moment of good light on a small lake before the sun dropped behind a high ridge and left us in shadow. As we continued down the drainage toward that meadow where we started the views to the south opened up and the evening light was still on the ridges. We stopped before descending to the meadow, and from here a narrow trail was visible as it traversed one side of the meadow just below a rocky section filled with old glacial erratics, with a dramatic backdrop of high peaks on the far side of the valley.

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 Lake, Wind, Dusk

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Alpine Lake, Wind, Dusk
Evening wind on the surface of an alpine lake at dusk

Alpine Lake, Wind, Dusk. Sequoia National Park, California. August 10, 2008 © Copyright 2008 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

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 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.