Tag Archives: national park

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sequoia-Kings Canyon, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Timberline Creek and Mesa, Evening

December 31, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Evening light on high ridges and timberline creek in the upper reaches of the Kern River drainage, Sierra Nevada

This is a favorite location in the southern Sierra, where the John Muir Trail finally arrives at a creek and small trees after crossing over a very high pass perhaps four miles to the north — and thus at the end of what is typically an entire day spent near or above timberline. I love that very high country, but after working my way over a very high pass and doing a long walk, there is almost nothing as pleasing as coming to a camp with green meadows and trees and a gently flowing stream.

Because this spot is on the JMT, it isn’t surprising that I’ve been there a few times, on various trips that have taken me across this section of the Sierra backcountry. In fact, I’ve been there enough times to now remember specific camp sites and to even know where to wander off to find a good view in the evening. The massive peak in this photograph is an iconic sight in this area. High above plateaus that are at or above 11,000′, it is topped by a huge plateau at an even higher elevation, an unusual feature at an elevation where things are more typically rugged, rocky, and perhaps nearly inaccessible.

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.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Autumn Cottonwood, Kolob Canyon

December 25, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

A bright yellow autumn cottonwood tree in a valley below red rock cliffs, Kolob Canyon

I have visited these trees — and this tree — in Zion National Park’s Kolob Canyon area before. I’m familiar with this beautiful little valley that runs up toward the head of a canyon bounded by red rock cliffs, and shaded from the early morning sun. Each time I have visited it has been a bit later in the morning when direct light was still blocked, but when ambient light began to fill in the shadows a bit.

A creek runs up (or down, depending on your perspective!) this little canyon, and it is lined with vegetation, notably including cottonwood trees. Higher up there are conifers, whose green color stands out against the red of the Utah rock. Further along the canyon narrows, twists around turns and disappears from sight. Although the colors might have been even brighter few days before this visit, I like the way that the colors of the foreground tree contrast with the more skeletal shapes of the bare and nearly bare plants beyond.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Cottonwood Trees, Patterned Cliff

December 23, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

Cottonwood trees with autumn foliage at the base of a patterned sandstone cliff.

I photographed these trees in early evening light, moments after the last bit of direct sun had left his sandstone wall. I was shooting along the Fremont River where it runs through Capitol Reef National Park, not far to the east of the Fruita area. This section of the river is lined by beautiful sandstone walls, with lots of beautiful trees growing int eh relatively moist surroundings of the stream.

This little section of the canyon was especially interesting to me. The transitional light first caught my attention, perhaps, as it changed from being lit by soft, warm sunlight to the cooler tones of canyon shade. The colorful autumn cottonwood trees are always interesting, but the bent shapes of this group was special, and because the trees didn’t grow too closely together the shapes were also more visible. The canyon wall itself is fascinating. The sandstone layer here is thick and consists of relatively smooth rock, against which the various patterns on its surface are exceptionally visible — horizontal lines that might be in the rock itself or remnants of long-ago flow patterns, and the beautiful vertical water patterns. Below this thick layer of solid red rock is a contrasting layer of much lighter rock, cut with angled strata.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: The Southwest, Photographs: Utah

Highlands, Autumn Light

December 19, 2014 G Dan Mitchell Leave a comment

High country of Zion National Park in evening light

On this visit to Zion National Park we did not stay in the usual place, the park boundary town of Springdale, with its hotels and restaurants. Instead we stayed at a place a bit more off the beaten path, up a quiet road quite a few miles away from this town, where we had a home to stay in for a few days.

In the past I have visited many of the more popular areas of the park, since I’m still new to Utah and its national parks and feeling my way into a better understanding of these places. By the time of this trip some elements of the experience were beginning to feel familiar, and we were beginning to look at places we had not visited before. This is one of those areas, and we headed up into it late in the day, when others mostly seemed to be heading down. We weren’t really quite certain what we would find, but we figured that we would at least get up high. On the return trip we came to an area of open terrain with peaks to one side as the sun was setting, and driving past this spot I was stopped short by the light. We stopped, I got out, and I made this photograph more or less from the roadside.

G Dan Mitchell Photography

Tag Archives: national park

Timberline Creek and Mesa, Evening

Autumn Cottonwood, Kolob Canyon

Cottonwood Trees, Patterned Cliff

Highlands, Autumn Light

Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.