Tag Archives: Mountain

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Forest, Wildfire Smoke

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Forest, Wildfire Smoke
Smoke from the Empire Fire drifts among forest trees in the early morning

Forest, Wildfire Smoke. Yosemite National Park, California. October 22, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Smoke from the Empire Fire drifts among forest trees in the early morning

In late October I spent a few days photographing in and around Yosemite National Park. I was in the area for the opening reception for the last hurrah of this year’s Yosemite Renaissance Exhibit, which has been installed at Gallery Five in Oakhurst. I took advantage of the visit to photograph various autumn subjects including the (somewhat early this year) fall colors in Yosemite Valley. But I also photographed another Sierra Nevada fall subject that we often aren’t as easily attracted to, namely wildfire smoke.

Like most Americans brought up with Smokey The Bear, I used to think that wildfires were uniformly evil things. We are more enlightened today, and we now understand that fire is actually a healthy part of the forest ecosystem. (Some fires at not so healthy, such as some during recent years that have completely destroyed large areas of forest.) Periodic fire clears out underbrush and forest litter, doesn’t kill mature trees, and tends to prevent the truly dangerous fires may otherwise occur. While I understand this intellectually, it has been harder for me to begin to see wildfires as attractive photographic subjects. However, on this morning, it was a bit easier! I had decided to get up early and head for Glacier Point at dawn — but I was soon distracted by an opportunity to photograph autumn dogwood trees. By the time I finished that I knew that I wasn’t close to being on schedule for dawn at Glacier Point, but I decided to head that direction anyway. As the road turns toward Glacier Point and overlooks a vast expanse of Sierra to the east, the view of this valley filled with early morning smoke that

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: Cascades, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Pacific Northwest

Trees, Alpine Terrain

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Trees, Alpine Terrain
A group of small trees stands on the edge of a deep valley, Cascade Mountains, Washington

Trees, Alpine Terrain. North Cascades, Washington. September 10, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A group of small trees stands on the edge of a deep valley, Cascade Mountains, Washington

This is another photograph from my brief visit to Washington’s North Cascades at Artist Point, high in the mountains at the end of the road between Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker. I had a free day, a rental car, and a forecast to relatively clear weather, so I went. The location is both popular and spectacular. The road ends at a very high point where snow still lay on the ground, and nearby are many trails, including the popular Artist Point trail that ascends a small rise nearby and offers excellent views in all directions.

There is a lot of intriguing stuff in this spot. Obviously the nearby alpine peaks with their extensive glaciers are impressive. Below there are two deep valleys leading away in opposite directions — one to the south towards a very large lake and the other to the north and leading to peaks on the Canadian border. The immediate terrain is alpine, with rocky areas (though less so that in the Sierra Nevada), small tarns, many plants, and small stands of beautiful trees that I believe are mountain hemlock. In this photograph one of those stands is positioned above the upper reaches of the valley that eventually leads south, and across this valley there are a few more trees, deeply eroded terrain, and some meadowy areas.

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

Swamp Onion Flowers

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Swamp Onion Flowers
Swamp onion flowers growing at the edge of a Sierra Nevada meadow

Swamp Onion Flowers. John Muir Wilderness, California. August 28, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Swamp onion flowers growing at the edge of a Sierra Nevada meadow

As I’ve written previously, during our late-August (and a couple of days into September) Sierra back-country visit this year we were treated to a surprising scene — green and lush meadows and plenty of wildflowers, something more typical of perhaps late July or early August. During the previous three years the Sierra was greatly affected by the historic drought, and much of the range was already drying out before August, so the change was striking and gratifying. It has been too long since I’ve seen the summer Sierra full of flowers and with snow banks still covering the higher peaks and ridges.

Shortly after we arrived at our back-country base camp we began investigating the nearby subjects that might be worthy of photography. Below “our lake” there was a small meadow clearing that was full of moisture, and near its lower end was one of the largest displays of the flowers of swamp onion (also known as pacific, wild, and mountain onion) that I recall seeing. This plant has always held a special place for me on my back-country travels. It grows in wet areas, and often it produces very large clusters of the plants; the flowers are attractive; and the scent of fresh onion is lovely. I’ll admit to occasionally rubbing or even breaking off a bit of a leaf to enjoy that fragrance! These flowers were in this meadow, where I had arrived to photograph very early, while frost was still on the ground and the sunlight had not yet arrived. I made this photograph as the first beams of morning sun hit the meadow itself and back-lit these plants and their flowers.

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

Reflected Mountain Slopes

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Reflected Mountain Slopes
Golden hour light on the lower slopes of a high Sierra peak is reflected by the surface of a lake

Reflected Mountain Slopes. Hoover Wilderness Area, California. August 6, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Golden hour light on the lower slopes of a high Sierra peak is reflected by the surface of a lake

On this evening our camp was at a large subalpine lake, improbably located directly on the summit of the ridge of the Sierra, albeit in a relatively low spot that was under 10,000′ of elevation. When I write “on the summit,” I mean it — this lake has two outlets, with one draining to the west into Yosemite National Park, and the other draining to the east, ultimately sending the water into Nevada.

It was a joy this year to once again to see the Sierra with snow on the peaks and filling the gullies. It was so nice that I even managed to avoid resenting the places where the trail was slightly obliterated by remaining patches of snow! As the evening arrived I found a high spot with a good view of the lake and surrounding mountains and made this photograph as the shadows of the last light of the day began to creep up the sides of this peak, with golden light reflecting off the surface of the lake.

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 | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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