Tag Archives: reflection

Shoreline Detail, Fletcher Lake

Shoreline Detail, Fletcher Lake

Shoreline Detail, Fletcher Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. September 9, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Rocky shoreline of Fletcher Lake and reflections in early morning light – Yosemite National Park, California.

Yet another in the series of morning photographs made in early September 2008 during my brief photographic expedition to Fletcher Lake and surrounding areas in the Yosemite National Park backcountry. Here oblique morning light strikes rocks, bushes, and a small shoreline meadow along the shoreline of the lake.

keywords: fletcher, lake, vogelsang, high, sierra, camp, nevada, california, usa, shore, shoreline, rocky, rock, boulder, tree, brush, meadow, reflection, bush, morning, light, landscape, wilderness, alpine, scenic, yosemite, national park, backpack, hike, mountain, stock

Shoreline Trees and Reflections, Fletcher Lake

Shoreline Trees and Reflections, Fletcher Lake

Shoreline Trees and Reflections, Fletcher Lake. Yosemite National Park, California. September 9, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Shoreline trees, grasses, and rocks catch the morning sunlight and are reflected in Fletcher Lake, Yosemite National Park, California.

This photograph is from near the outlet stream of Fletcher Lake, very close to the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp. Early morning light is beginning to flow around the base of Fletcher Peak and strike the rocks and vegetation along the shoreline right below the peak. This is one of a series of photographs I made on this morning as I wandered around this lake in the early light.

keywords: shore, shoreline, trees, forest, bush, grass, meadow, rock, boulder, sun, light, talus, slab, granite, reflection, submerged, alpine, mountain, sierra, nevada, high, camp, vogelsang, fletcher, lake, hike, backpack, landscape, wilderness, stock, california, usa, yosemite, national park

Hitchcock Lakes

High Lakes, Trail Crest
Terrain to the west of Whitney Trail Crest

Hitchcock Lakes from the Mt. Whitney Trail. Sequoia National Park, California. August 11, 2008. © Copyright 2008 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Hitchcock Lakes seen from the Mt. Whitney Trail.

I climbed Mount Whitney – again – on August 11, 2008 after crossing the Sierra Nevada from west to east on Sequoia National Park’s High Sierra Trail. I’ve been to the summit a couple times in the past. Last year I swore I would not climb this peak again, mainly because there are so many other beautiful things to see in the Sierra and I didn’t feel a strong need to do this again. But my friends proposed a trip that concluded with the Whitney ascent, and I couldn’t say no.

A traditional starting point for ascents from the west is Guitar Lake, a small – and often somewhat crowded – little lake in a truly alpine setting just above timberline. From here the trail ascends the valley containing these lakes, leading to the junction with the trail from the east side just before reaching the ridge, and then a lateral trail traverses out to the summit of Whitney.

It won’t surprise anyone if I say that there are some wonderful panoramas to be seen from almost any point on this climb. One of my favorite is this view back across the valley from which the trail ascended and towards high elevation Hitchcock Lakes and the ridge between them and the Crabtree Basin beyond.

(Oddly, I often find the summit view to be photographically uninspiring, and I usually end up just making some “record” photos there and a perfunctory pano or two.)


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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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.

Pacific Ocean and Rock – Big Sur

Pacific Ocean and Rock

Pacific Ocean and Rock. Big Sur, California. July 21, 2008. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Color photograph of the Pacific Ocean with an offshore rock along the Big Sur coast of California.

These minimalist seascapes have been something of an on-going project for me during the past year or so. I’m intrigued by the sense of deep and quiet space in these views – best appreciated from outside of your car and away from the road. I have no idea how well they work as images for others, but they are a bit more complex to capture than you might think from a quick glance.

keywords: big, sur, california, landscape, nature, ocean, pacific ocean, seascape, seashore, summer, travel, usa, water, waves, sky, blue, reflection, island, rock, offshore, horizon, minimalism, stock