“Snow-dusted Highlands Peak” — A highlands summit rises above a sun-dappled hill.
After six weeks of travel, almost two weeks of it in beautiful Scotland, some location memories begin to blur together. I cannot say precisely where I made this photograph. It was on the day we left Skye and made our way north to Ullapool. My recollection is that we had perhaps passed through some rain at a high point on the route, and we came to this peak and its foreground hill as the weather was beginning to clear, allowing a bit of sunlight into the scene. (It is hard to identify these Scottish peaks after returning back to the US, but this one may be Spidean Coire nan Clach.)
“Canisp and Loch Ewe — Canisp peak rises above Loch Ewe with a tree-covered island.
Some travelers like to know everything about their destinations before they depart. I can understand — one reason we travel is to learn about new places and, more practically, knowledge can help you travel efficiently. But I’m partial to not knowing everything in advance, instead leaving plenty of room for discovery. (Of course, it helps — a lot — that my wife is a planner!) The details of this photograph may be a case in point. (There has been an update to this post. Click the “more” link below to see… more.)
Although it might see counter-intuitive for a place like Death Valley National Park, these mountains typically are snow-capped in the winter. The highest point in the Panamint Range is Telescope Peak, at an elevation of just above 11,000′. That puts it in the alpine zone, and although moisture is usually scarce here, when it does come it can produce snow at that elevation. A cold storm had recently passed, and the snow level in the photo is lower than usual.
“Forest, Meadow, and Ridge” — Cathedral range peaks tower above lodgepole pine forest and subalpine meadow, Yosemite.
After years of photographing now-familiar scenes in this location, I still manage to find angles from which I have not photographed. I had gone to a location near Tuolumne Meadows to see how recent “remodeling” had changed things, and I just happened to look in the right direction from the right spot — and I saw this part of the Cathedral Range in evening light.
I’ve long been fascinated by the Cathedral Range. Years ago I learned that its rock is unusual, featuring large crystals. Once I knew that I began to notice it everywhere in this part of Yosemite. This sub-range runs perpendicular to the main range. Its summits are the typical Yosemite granite in appearance, but their elevation is just right to have allowed them to be significantly glaciated. Yet the peaks are high enough to have the rugged look of summits that were above the ice fields.
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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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