Tag Archives: moss

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Scottish Forest, Soft Light

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Scottish Forest, Soft Light
“Scottish Forest, Soft Light” — Soft light under thin overcast illuminates Scottish forest on the Great Glen Way.

This sort of terrain was far from typical during our trek along Scotland’s Great Glen Way this past May. We did walk through a lot of forests, but many of them were extremely dense and dark — that sort of forest you might describe as “impenetrable.” We did see moss like this in places, which is not surprise given the Scottish weather. But this sort of green, open forest was a bit of a rarity.

In any case, this open forest was also a surprise when we encountered it. At the start of the day’s hike we had climbed up from flatlands and into open highland terrain with expansive views and a lot of wind! From there we descended back into trees and then traversed along a ridge paralleling Loch Ness. Here the thick trees blocked any open views. But shortly after our lunch stop we came upon this magical, light-filled section of open forest.

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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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Old Trees, Stone Fence

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Old Trees, Stone Fence
“Old Trees, Stone Fence” — Old trees grow against a moss-covered stone wall in the forest along the Great Glen Way, Scotland.

From years of hiking in California and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada, I’m familiar with hiking in wilderness terrain. In those places the signs of human visitors are mostly subtle: a cleared area where people have camped, trails, blaze marks on trees, and occasional rustic dam raising a lake’s water level by a few feet. The experience is very different along Scotland’s Great Glen Way, the 80 mile trail between Fort William and Inverness. Here the marks of human presence are almost constantly visible. It isn’t all bad — each evening we stayed in nice lodging and ate great meals!

I made the photograph on the final day of our weeklong walk. We had assumed that it would be an easy day, since it would bring us to our final destination, it didn’t cross any high mountains, and it seemed (in a somewhat misleading way) to be short. We started in pasture-land and then entered forest… as the rain began. It continued for hours, all the way into Inverness. Here the route skirted a private forest (see the barbed wire!) lined with a very old, moss-covered rock wall.

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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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Scotland, Photographs: Travel

Forest Above Loch Ness

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Forest Above Loch Ness
“Forest Above Loch Ness — “Forest with green moss along the Great Glen Way above Loch Ness, Scotland.

This photograph comes from the second-to-last day of our walk on Scotland’s Great Glen Way . Every day was different, but this one stood out in several ways. First of all, we hiked it “backwards.” On every other day we hiked toward our destination of Inverness. But this time we were dropped off north of Lewiston, where we were staying, and we walked back toward town. A few miles into the walk we encountered our most exposed highland terrain as we crossed a high, windy ridge and then descended to re-enter forest.

This spot along that descent was a lovely surprise. Much of the forest land we had walked through was dense with trees, blocking the light and cutting off distant views. But on this bench high above Loch Ness we found this open and softly lit section of forest carpeted with green moss. Through the trees and far below we could see Loch Ness.

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.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | Post | Email

Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Nature

Conifer Bark and Moss

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Conifer Bark and Moss
Most grows on the thick bark of a Yosemite Valley conifer.

Conifer Bark and Moss. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Most grows on the thick bark of a Yosemite Valley conifer.

Sometimes the texture of tree back can almost take on the appearance of a landscape, especially when it is the thick and textured bark on large, old trees. This example, from alongside a trail in Yosemite Valley, almost looks to me like a set of parallel valleys, with forest or meadows represented by the green most growing in the darker cracks. I’m also fascinated by the texture of the lighter sections, which seem to be build up in layers.

I suppose, to some extent, that this photograph may be yet another in the “record shot” category, at least if you don’t find the textures and shapes of the bark fascinating.

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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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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