While on the Isle of Skye this past May we stayed at an out-of-the-way lodge a few miles out on a gravel single track road along Loch Snizort Beag. We may have thought that we were at the ends of the earth when we first turned off the main road onto that track, but we came to appreciate the isolation, the views… and the sheep. They filled the pastures along the road and occasionally entered the roadway itself.
Continue reading Two Trees, Stone Wall
A band of photographers and friends has met in a semi-wild place every New Year’s Day for about a decade. We get join welcome tothe new year, share stories, and photograph birds and the landscape. Until this year we had a streak of good weather New Year’s Days, but we were due for bad weather — and we got it! It wasn’t exactly horrible, but it was rather wet and gray… except for a few moments when the clouds parted enough to allow some light.
These three bare trees are old friends of mine. I’ve visited and photographed them for years. This time I was intrigued by the light on more distant trees, the ominous skies, and the newly green pasture. That winter green is a characteristic of much of California. it must almost seem to those from other places that our seasons are backwards — brown and dry in the summer and lush and green in the middle of winter.
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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
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Near the end of this day’s walk on the Great Glen Way we passed through, around, and between a series of sheep pastures. Americans used to hiking in “wilderness” learn that hiking here is a different experience — you pass through towns, occasionally walk on narrow roads, cross logged areas, and encounter livestock. While I love our American wilderness, I have to say that there’s something quite nice about this landscape, too. (Perhaps not the least: a comfortable bed and nice meals every evening!)
This was one of the two longest days of our trek — in some ways it felt like the longest. We had arrived in Lewiston, next door to the town of Drumnadrochit, the evening before. Instead of walking to the next town (mainly because there isn’t one!) the plan was to start a distance north and hike back to our lodgings. It was quite a varied day. In the first mile or so we passed a rural cafe, a nature center, and then climbed stiffly out of the forest and into barren highlands. We may have reached the highest point of the walk here at a place with panoramic views and extremely strong winds. From here we descended back into forest for a long walk toward the shores of Loch Ness. In sight of the loch, it seemed like we were near our goal, but we still had miles to go.
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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Perhaps you noticed — Patty and I were traveling from mid-May through early June. We spent three weeks in Scotland, followed by a visit to York and London. The main focus of the trip was to complete the “Great Glen Walk,” a weeklong 80 mile trek from Fort William to Inverness. It was, in almost all ways, quite different from our familiar Sierra Nevada pack trips and hikes — the terrain was almost entirely different, and we stayed in various civilized accommodations each night. So civilized, in fact, that they served us breakfast and packed lunches for us!
I made this photograph of the very green Scottish landscape on the second-to-last day of our walk, which ended in Drumnadrochit, very close to Loch Ness. It was a bit of an odd day. For one thing, we hiked this section “in reverse,” starting well north of town and walking back there. It also took us to one of the highest points on the walk, a wild and windy place above timberline. That aside, much of the hike was through lush and green forests, and here through an area of sheep pastures. Stay tuned: there are many more photographs to come!
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.
Scroll down to share comments or questions. (Click post title first if viewing on the home page.)
All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.