Tag Archives: meadow

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Southern California

Afternoon, Upper Bubbs Creek

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Afternoon, Upper Bubbs Creek
Afternoon, Upper Bubbs Creek

Afternoon, Upper Bubbs Creek. Kings Canyon National Park, California. July 31, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late afternoon light on the forest and distant peaks on Upper Bubbs Creek, Kings Canyon National Park.

Since this photograph comes from an entirely different adventure, a bit of background information is probably in order. Among my summer pack trips, each year I join my friends from the talusdancers, a loosely connected group of folks who like to backpack, for at least one “big trip” in the Sierra. I’ve been doing this for nearly 15 years now. This year’s trip revisited some familiar spots (Tyndall Creek in the upper Kern), some that I had not visited for quite a few years (Forrester Pass), and one area that I have never before visited despite thinking about it for over 30 years (Milestone Basin and the Lake South America area). Near the end of July we headed out of Onion Valley to cross Kearsarge Pass, turned south to enter the Upper Kern River drainage via Forrester Pass, explored there for a few day, and then exited by way of brutal Shepherd Pass.

Forrester Pass is the second-highest point on the John Muir Trail (or “the JMT,” as most refer to it) at 13,200′, and we planned to cross it from north to south on the third day of our trip. At the end of day two we dropped down to Vidette Meadow and then headed up canyon to upper Bubbs Creek where the old Center Basin trail splits off from the main JMT where we made camp. This photograph was made in the late afternoon as we lazed about, doing a bit of laundry and thinking about the big climb ahead of us the next day. The view beyond the foreground and the closer trees is back down the canyon of Bubbs Creek, with the lowering sun lighting the canyon walls.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Detail, White Bark Pine

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Detail, White Bark Pine
Detail, White Bark Pine

Detail, White Bark Pine. Yosemite National Park, California. July 24, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Detail of dense growth of a white bark pine tree in the high country near Tioga Pass, Yosemite National Park.

I photographed this dense growth of white bark pine in a high meadow not far from Tioga Pass, after venturing out into (and around, given the wet conditions!) this area very early in the morning. Although it isn’t apparent in this very close-up photograph, this was a rather unique tree. It had grown up around a large boulder and taken on the boulder’s shape since the branches followed the outline of the boulder almost exactly – it almost looked like the boulder was covered with a “tree blanket.”

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Corn Lily Plants

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Corn Lily Plants
Corn Lily Plants

Corn Lily Plants. Yosemite National Park, California. June 30, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

New corn lily plants emerge alongside a stream in the Yosemite National Park high country.

Shortly after the winter’s snow melts, the Sierra corn lily plants begin to grow quickly in wet areas, especially those next to streams and lakes. This year I saw them earlier in the season than usual, and for the first time I saw them as they first emerged. I’m used to seeing them in the form shown in this photograph, with the large curving leaves that I assumed were responsible for the “corn” part of the plant’s name. However, as the plants first break through the soil they look almost exactly like unhusked corn, and now I wonder if that is the actual reason for the name.

These specimens, as is often the case, were growing in a tightly packed group along the banks of a fast-flowing stream that meanders through a nearly flat meadow. The plants remain beautiful throughout the season, though the nature of that beauty changes. Soon they will lose the lush green of spring and become somewhat tougher looking. At some point in late August they will begin to show some brown edges, and a bit later they will turn brilliant golden, yellow, and brown colors as the short Sierra summer comes to an end.

G Dan Mitchell Photography
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

North Dome and Merced River Trees, Winter

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North Dome and Merced River Trees, Winter
North Dome and Merced River Trees, Winter

North Dome and Merced River Trees, Winter. Yosemite Valley, California. February 15, 2010. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of North Dome and bare winter trees reflected in the Merced River near the swinging bridge, Yosemite Valley, California.

After first getting distracted by dawn light on Yosemite Falls – and joining a small throng of other photographers shooting this exact same subject (he writes, somewhat embarrassed… ;-) – I pulled myself together and wandered off along the Merced on this frosty morning looking for scenes that were a bit less obvious. I’m not going to claim that this one is completely non-iconic – I can’t since North Dome, in the upper center of the frame, is a fairly well known feature of the Valley. However, the thing that mostly caught my attention here was the skeletal shapes of the dormant trees along the Merced River and the way they lined up across the scene creating some interesting symmetries and forms against the background of the upper end of The Valley.

This photograph is not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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Technical Data:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EF 35mm f/2
two blended images: ISO 100, f/11, 1/40 second and ISO 10, f/11, 1/10 second

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