Tag Archives: range

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

Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow

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Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow
The shoreline of an alpine lake and alpenglow on Yosemite backcountry peaks.

Lake, Meadow, and Alpenglow. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The shoreline of an alpine lake and alpenglow on Yosemite backcountry peaks.

Over the years I have visited this lake many times. I feel like I know it pretty well now, but I still discover new things each time I go there. My first visit was on a very long day hike in the early fall, in golden light and cooler temperatures. After that I made it a backpacking destination quite a few times, and from here I explored other higher lakes nearby.

On the trip when I made this photograph I had gone earlier in the season to set up a photography base camp. From here I hiked daily to higher lakes, where I photographed more alpine country. A special feature of this location is that it lies on the west side of a ridge running somewhat north-south, with a completely open vista to the west. Late in the day this landscape fills with colorful sunset light.

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: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Creek Crossing, Cathedral Range Panorama

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Creek Crossing, Cathedral Range Panorama
A backcountry trail crosses a small creek with long views of the Cathedral Range and the Sierra crest.

Creek Crossing, Cathedral Range Panorama. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

A backcountry trail crosses a small creek with long views of the Cathedral Range and the Sierra crest.

This photograph will be the first in a short three-post series featuring a few of my favorite backcountry locations in Yosemite National Park. This one comes from a trail that heads out of Tuolumne Meadows toward some lovely high country lakes. I’ve walked this route many times, on everything from aggressive daylong out-and-back hikes to multi-day backpacking trips.

Like almost all trails, there are moments of difficult work (like the last mile to camp!) on this route and some special, beautiful places that stick with me. This is one of the latter. After climbing through forest and past the base of some large slopes, the trail emerges into this lovely, open meadow with expansive views. The Cathedral Range and more distant Sierra crest peaks stretch across the horizon. I know this exact spot — these rocks, this bit of water, that small tree — very well. I always stop here, remove my pack, and sit for a while.

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

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

Evening Sky, Meadow and Mountains

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Evening Sky, Meadow and Mountains
The remnants of afternoon clouds dissipate before sunset above Yosemite mountains and meadow.

Evening Sky, Meadow and Mountains. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

The remnants of afternoon clouds dissipate before sunset above Yosemite mountains and meadow.

This is a view I’ve known for many decades, looking across Tuolumne Meadows toward peaks in the area of Mount Conness. Tuolumne was where I had my first experience with the “High Sierra” many years ago, when my Dad took us there for a camping trip — and an aborted attempt at backpacking. (I think he always wanted to backpack. I recall that he acquired various pieces of fascinating gear. But I also recall that, for whatever reason, several times he came close to heading out on the trail only to call it off at the last minute.)

The photograph comes from that wonderful early summer period when the meadows are still green and lush… but no longer so wet that they often are more lake than land. I’ve backpacked to, around, and over that distant ridge too many times to remember them all. That isn’t just a line of anonymous ridges and peaks to me — it brings back memories of many backcountry trips… including one memorable cross-country adventure across a portion of it!

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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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: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

The Big Trees

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The Big Trees
Giant sequoias at Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park

The Big Trees. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.

Giant sequoias at Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park

With the Washburn fire in the news, many of us have been thinking about that fire, the fact that the Mariposa Grove has been in its path, the recent destruction of a significant percentage of Southern Sierra sequoias, the role of fire in forest life, and the changes wrought by human-caused climate change. This grove, along with almost all Sierra forests, has a symbiotic relationship with periodic wildfires. A disruption of that cycle — either through complete suppression or the resultant hot and destructive fires that feed on too much undergrowth, enhanced by the changing climate — is dangerous to the long-term health of forests.

Figuring out how to feel about wildfires is complicated. If you were brought up on Smokey the Bear telling us that all fires are bad, it was a revelation to later learn that this isn’t the whole truth. More recently, as we were coming to terms with the idea that fire plays a role in forest health, Sierra fires have become more frequent, larger, and far more destructive. The duration of the fire season is expanding, and the forests are being so badly damaged that some seem to not be coming back.

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 | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

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

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