Tag Archives: peak

Parsons Peak and Tarn, Sunset

Parsons Peak and Tarn, Sunset

Parsons Peak and Tarn, Sunset. Yosemite National Park, California. September 7, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Alpenglow from sunset on Parsons Peak and surrounding rocky slopes reflected in a small rocky alpine tarn in an alpine meadow above Townsley Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

I photographed this small tarn at the end of the plateau above Townsley Lake right at sunset as the Sierra alpenglow began to appear on the nearby ridges and higher Parsons Peak. I’ve visited this small pond many times on the walk between Townsley and Ireland Lakes, but this was the first time I managed to be there right at sunset. (I “paid for” the experience with a dark walk back to camp and a dinner by the light of my headlamp. ;-)

(I’ve written a bit about how I get to and across this plateau here.)

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Evening, Tenaya Lake, From Near Olmsted Point

Evening, Tenaya Lake, From Near Olmsted Point

Evening, Tenaya Lake, From Near Olmsted Point. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Black and white photograph of early evening light on Tenaya Lake and surrounding valley and peaks as viewed from near Olmsted Point, Yosemite National Park, California.

On this late summer evening I had just hiked out from a three-day backcountry photography pack trip, driven over Tioga Pass to grab a bit at Tioga Pass Resort, and was starting my drive home from the park. I happened to pass by Olmsted Point (where I don’t stop all that often these days) just as the sun was getting read to drop behind the ridge to the west of the point. To my mind, this is just about the most beautiful time of day at this spot, especially as the low angle sun illuminates rocks in the Olmsted Point area and begins to leave the valley holding Tenaya Lake. To make a long story short, I spent 30-45 minutes photographing here before heading home, and I make a few exposures of Tenaya just as the last light was hitting some of the nearby trees in the foreground.

keywords: black and white, early, evening, afternoon, tenaya, lake, olmsted, point, yosemite, national park, california, usa, tree, rock, forest, boulder, dome, peak, mountain, ridge, cloud, conness, tioga, road, pass, tuolumne, meadows, scenic, landscape, travel, stock, shadow

Boulder Strewn Meadow Near Townsley Lake

Boulder Strewn Meadow Near Townsley Lake

Boulder Strewn Meadow Near Townsley Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. September 7, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Sunset light illuminates a meadow strewn with glacial boulders above Townsley Lake with ice fields of the Fletcher-Parsons ridge beyond in Yosemite National Park.

I made it up to this large plateau above Townsley Lake just before sunset on an early-September evening in 2008, and had the chance to quickly photograph several aspects of this area before (and slightly after) the sun went down. In this spot a large number of large glacial boulders are embedded in the level surface of the tundra and surrounded by late season dry grasses. Beyond the valley holding Townsley Lake is the high ridge between Fletcher Peak and Parsons Peak, and a number of permanent snow fields on this north face of the ridge.

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Shoreline Rocks, Fletcher Lake

Shoreline Rocks, Fletcher Lake

Shoreline Rocks, Fletcher Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. September 8, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Rocks along the shoreline of Fletcher Lake, with mixed forest and meadow rising up the lower slopes of Fletcher Peak – Yosemite National Park, California.

Yes, another in the series – again from my early September photography trek to the Fletcher Lake area in Yosemite. (For those who may wonder, I’m getting close to the end of this string of photographs of the shoreline of Fletcher Lake.) In this one it was not only the morning light and the interesting textures on the far shoreline that attracted me, but also the circle of rocks in the still water and just offshore.

keywords: fletcher, lake, vogelsang, peak, high, sierra, camp, nevada, morning, light, forest, tree, meadow, grass, rock, boulder, slope, shore, shoreline, water, still, yosemite, national park, california, usa, wilderness, mountains, hike, backpack, camp, scenic, landscape, stock