Tag Archives: trail

Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature

From the High Peaks

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From the High Peaks
Central California spring terrain viewed from the High Peaks Trail at Pinnacles National Park

From the High Peaks. Pinnacles National Park, California. March, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Central California spring terrain viewed from the High Peaks Trail at Pinnacles National Park

When I was a lot younger I used to visit what was then Pinnacles National Monument, a quiet little park well south of the San Francisco Bay Area, known for its remarkable rock formations, for being too hot to visit in the summer, for spectacular spring wildflowers, and as a place for rock climbers. For various reasons the place had sort of slipped out of my consciousness, and I had not been back there in the past thirty years or so. A few years ago I began to think that I should return and begin to photograph the place, especially now that it has been promoted to national park status, and it was this month that I finally returned for the first time.

Many things were largely as I remember them, though there have been changes – to the park and to my recall! I arrived at the west side trailhead (where there was a campground when I last visited — but no more) and decided to begin the renewal of my relationship with the park by doing the High Peaks Trail. The photograph was made near the high point of this trail. The hike begins with a 1500 climb from the parking area to a high ridge, followed by a traverse through ridge top terrain of giant towers and sheer drop-offs. I chose to take the “steep and exposed” route, and was surprised that I had forgotten just how steep and exposed it really is. There were some spots where getting past while carrying my large and heavy camera pack was a bit tricky!

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Central California, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Oaks, Trail, Spring

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Oaks, Trail, Spring
Old oak trees along a Northern California trail through spring grasslands

Oaks, Trail, Spring. Calero Hills, California. March 12, 2017. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Old oak trees along a Northern California trail through spring grasslands

When people think of the landscape of California, many think of impressive and famous subjects: the redwoods, the Pacific Ocean coast, the High Sierra, perhaps the deserts. But those of us who live here know that one of the most characteristics is that of the oak grasslands. The sprawl along the low hills found all over the state and manage to climb up into mountains in many places — on both sides of the Central Valley, along the coastal hills, and more.

This tree and I go back perhaps twenty years, to when I first “discovered” this park just south of the main population centers of the San Francisco Bay Area. The specific location isn’t really important to anyone else, since you can find similar landscapes in many other places. But this tree is special to me. It sits along a trail that I have hiked many times, a steep but short one that takes me to the top of a bare hill and then down into a valley from which more distant trails branch out. I’ve photographed this sprawling oak throughout the year — summer, fall, winter and spring, in rain and fog and heat. This time I photographed on a late-winter California day that, as they sometimes do, felt more like spring.

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Sierra Nevada, Photographs: Yosemite

Summer’s End

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Summer's End
Late summer meadow and forest, Yosemite National Park

Summer’s End. Yosemite National Park, California. September 7, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Late summer meadow and forest, Yosemite National Park

I missed much of summer in the Sierra this season since we were traveling. Soon after we came back to California I managed to squeeze in a few “going home” days in the Yosemite high country during the week following the exit of the Labor Day Holiday crowds. Following my midday arrival and camp setup (and a nap to compensate for my early wake up call that morning) I decided that I’d head out a familiar trail toward an alpine lake that I’ve frequently visited in the past. As it turns out I started a bit too late, and when I hit my predetermined halfway time I hadn’t made it the goal — so I just found a rock and sat quietly for a while before turning around.

Every summer, far before autumn actually begins, I see the early signs of the coming seasonal change. I missed the first hints since I wasn’t there in August. (Though I did see a few early leaves change color in Italy at that time.) But on this early September day the signs were all there. The meadows have turned that familiar golden brown color. Red bilberry plants glow in the low angle backlight. Corn lily plants have lost their green lushness and now turn brown and topple over. A few yellow leaves begin to appear on willows, and here and there it is even possible to find a few aspen trees with premature yellow leaves. Less concretely, there is something I’ve never quite been able to define about the light and the atmosphere, though it is plainly obvious to me that it has changed. Summer is ending in the Sierra, and the inevitable arrival of autumn and winter is just around the corner.

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 and Amazon.
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Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Southern California

Morning, Mountains, Desert Canyons

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Morning, Mountains, Desert Canyons
Cloud-filled sky at first light above desert mountains and canyon, Death Valley National Park

Morning, Mountains, Desert Canyons. Death Valley National Park, California. March 28, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Cloud-filled sky at first light above desert mountains and canyon, Death Valley National Park

As I post this photograph on the summer solstice, this location is perhaps not a place you would want to be right now. I understand that temperatures in Death Valley National Park have been in the 120 degree range already this summer. But back on this March morning the scene was a lot different — clouds from a passing Pacific weather front obscured the dawn light, and there was a pleasantly cool wind at this location high in the Panamint range as the morning light arrived.

This view looks down through one of the many gigantic canyons of the Panamint Range, a sight that reminds us of just how important the flow of water has been in the creation of this remarkable landscape. In the middle distance the salt flats of Death Valley are visible at the base of the Black Mountains, and above that the demarcations between mountains and clouds and sky and light are hard to see, and the terrain of the rugged Death Valley landscape almost merges with the ephemeral terrain of this sky.

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 and Amazon.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

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