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Young Forest

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Young Forest
A dense forest of small trees, likely in an old logging tract, Northern California.

Young Forest. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A dense forest of small trees, likely in an old logging tract, Northern California.

As I described in a previous post, in early June we spent a day driving a somewhat less-travelled loop in far Northern California, a route the took us west from US 101 and out to the “Lost Coast” before heading south along a stretch of lonely beach and then turning inland. From there the route took us through coastal hills and valleys, though small hamlets, and past the ubiquitous marijuana farms before climbing a tall ridge and then dropping steeply into a dark and quiet redwood forest not far from our return route along US 101.

The first portion of this look was quite varied and different from what I expected. I only knew that it was a narrow, winding road with a somewhat dubious surface, and that it would eventually take us to the coast. But I had no idea of what terrain we’d cover or what sorts of vegetation we would see. Although the route starts near a coastal plain featuring farmland, it soon climbed into tree-covered hills, occasionally emerging into open meadows that sometimes afforded expansive views. At times the road was quite steep — it is not the sort of gentle route that tries to avoid steep grades. At one point we descended from a high open area and were surprised to find ourselves in this forest of small trees, moss, and ferns.

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: Night, Photographs: Wildlife

Elephant Seals in Surf

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Elephant Seals in Surf
Two young elephant seals sparring in the surf at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Elephant Seals in Surf. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Two young elephant seals sparring in the surf at Point Reyes National Seashore.

This pair of young elephant seals was part of a larger group hanging out along the beaches inside the bay at Point Reyes National Seashore. The group was on a beach at the bottom of a steep hillside, so they were protected from human intrusion not only by law but also by terrain. I watched them for some time as they cavorted (or whatever it is they do) on the beach and in the shallow shoreline water.

While I can claim no expertise in elephant seal behavior, this pair appeared to be conducting a mild version of the often-violent sparring that goes on between the huge adult males. They position themselves face to face, then raise their heads with mouths agape and pointed toward the sky, sometimes pushing their necks into one another and occasionally biting.

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

Young Trees, Dark Forest

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Young Trees, Dark Forest Young Trees, Dark Forest
Small, young trees growing at the end of a dark and dense forest

Young Trees, Dark Forest. © Copyright 2019 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Small, young trees growing at the end of a dark and dense forest.

After decades of hiking, camping, backpacking, photographing, skiing, (and in an earlier life occasionally climbing) all over the Sierra, there are odd little unexpected places that have some personal significance to me. In a few cases they are associated with a specific, memorable — there are several, for example, for each of my “kids.” (The “kids” are now all grown, but i remember!) Others connect to travels with backcountry friends or to events that occur there. In some cases, the development of a connection seems to be almost random, and there is nothing at all that points to them in any particularly objective way.

This is one of those latter spots. It isn’t far from a road, and I’ve always been attracted to the views for a mile or two on either side of the spot. But this place? There’s barely a turnout along the road. There is a narrow strip of meadow that runs quickly into thick, high-elevation forest, and it usually has a dark and impenetrable appearance. Logically I know what is beyond it, but it never quite feels like I do. And every year, more than once, I stop again and look at it and perhaps make a few photographs.

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: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Redwood National & State Parks

Redwoods Great And Small

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Redwoods Great And Small
Dense Northern California redwood forest containing both old-growth and young trees

Redwoods Great And Small. © Copyright 2018 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Dense Northern California redwood forest containing both old-growth and young trees

I’ve lived on the fringes of California’s coastal redwoods ever since my family moved to the state when I was four-years-old. For years we did weekend trips to places like Big Basin Redwoods State Park, often hiking through the trees and beyond. So I have always been familiar with these extraordinarily tall trees and with the special forests they inhabit. However, it wasn’t until much later that I understood how truly rare the original old-growth forests are. I recently read that only 5% of the original forest was left mostly untouched — meaning that 95% of the trees (19 out of 20!) were cut down during a fairly short period, mostly in the 20th century. This was an astounding example of where greed can push humankind, and we can reasonably imagine that without intervention all of the old-growth forests would have been lost forever. If that greed had gotten its way, you would have to reimagine scenes like this one with only the slender trees on the right, because certain parties would have cut up every accessible tree like the one on the left.

Today it seems bizarre to recall the strong objections to saving these remnants back when the Redwood National Park was first proposed. Even conserving parts of the last 5% of the ancient forests seemed to be a bridge to far for interests blinded by their long-term investments in a nearly depleted natural resource, and they fought bitterly against that parks. There are several lessons in this. This was not isolated resistance to conservation — it has been the pattern with the creation of essentially all of our great American parks and other efforts to protect wilderness and natural areas. There are [i]always[/i] a few very loud voices shrieking that the protection of a few last remnants of America’s great landscape will ruin their economy. (Witness the Utah minority today working to undo national monuments.) However, now that our park system is well over a century old, it is plainly obvious that virtually every single protected area is regarded as a treasure and virtually no sane person would argue that we did the wrong thing by protecting them.

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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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