Landscapes

Almost hypnotic

DAY 2 - LONESOME TREE IN COMPANY OF EARTH’S SHADOW Lonesome tree in company of Earth’s Shadow Once the sun dropped below the horizon, one of my favorite times of the day returned - Earth’s Shadow time. The magical colors of the universe were slowly filling up the void. This lonesome tree on which I had laid my eyes from the moment I arrived here with the backdrop of the Earth’s Shadow now felt like it was out of this world. Such diffused colors are almost hypnotic. Darkness was lurking all around me. The heat was dissipating fast. And just like that, the Shadow faded into the pale grey layers of oblivion. It was time to get ready for astrophotography.

Time to chase the sunset

DAY 2 - SUNSET NEAR HOLE IN THE WALL Sunset near Hole in the Wall Next morning I left Kelso Dunes and headed to my next stop - Hole in the Wall, which was located on the opposite side of the mountains in the east. Once I got off the paved roads, the dirt roads that I took went over the mountainous area. Its higher elevation offered some elevated views of the vast landscapes of the preserve. The Hole in the Wall information center was closed for summer. But potable water was available, so I decided to pick up some water here. While meandering through the walls and crags of rock formations with jagged points protruding upwards, the loop trail starting from the information center itself is quite short. And, except for this one spot where climbing up or down the pile of giant boulders requires the help of clinging on to the metal rings and chains (think of those chains at Angel’s Landing in Zion), it is a super easy one. Once done with scouting, I returned to my car and had an early dinner. By the time when I headed back out, the sun had fallen quite a bit. And it was time to chase the sunset.

Like heated iron

DAY 1 - SUNSET OVER KELSO DUNES Sunset over Kelso Dunes When I swiveled back in the direction of the sun, it had further dropped hovering right above the mountains. I quickly replanted my tripod. Every surface its ray touched turned bright orange. The dunes were soaking up all the energy permeating the air like heated iron. The brightness never seemed to diminish for a while. The vast field behind the dune, on which I was, had already fallen in the long shadows of the mountains. Wished that there were some clouds overhead, but that wasn’t something that I had control over. Before the dune sank in the long shadows, I composed a shot and pressed the shutter button.

Airbrushed in red

DAY 1 - SUNSET GLOW CAST ON EDGAR AND FOUNTAIN Sunset glow cast on Edgar and Fountain As the sun was dropping fast, I turned around in the direction of Edgar and Fountain Peaks far in the east. And they were completely airbrushed in red, glowing like red hot embers. Of course, it would fade shortly, so I had to act fast. I really loved that curvy leading line of the dune ridges dashing toward the mountain. As if a snake was moving in a wavy motion. Then, the glow faded, as if cold water was dumped on singularly red, hot iron. And just like that, no more colors persisted. I then turned around facing the sun again to compose the last sunset shot of the day.

Wasn’t a stroll in the park

DAY 1 - SUNSET OVER KELSO DUNES Sunset over Kelso Dunes When I made it to Mojave National Preserve, the first stop was Kelso Dunes Field. I had always wanted to stand in the middle of the sea of sand dunes. Just like Death Valley, driving from Point A to B felt like forever even after entering the preserve limit. Probably in part because I was not familiar with the place, but also probably because they were physically quite apart. Once I made it to the trailhead, I grabbed my camera gear and started walking toward the highest dune on which I laid my eyes. It seemed as though the entire field may have been visited by only two or three people at most in the entire late afternoon. To my surprise though, about 100 yards left to the top, I spotted a foot trail. It was disappearing fast in the winds. From trudging across Mesquite Flats Dunes in Death Valley, I had known that walking up and down these sand dunes wasn’t a stroll in the park. And here the dunes were higher and larger. My feet sank and slid into the ever-eroding sands on each step. As huffing and puffing, I was making two small steps to move upward a foot. When I finally reached the top, the sun had already dropped to just above the mountains in the west. I had to act fast. I studied the slopes of the dune, planted my tripod as safely as I could without it sinking into the sands and started composing a shot.

Scanned the lake for one last time

JMT DAY 30 - LATE AFTERNOON AT MARY LAKE Late afternoon at Mary Lake Besides the fact that I had never explored this lake before, one of the reasons why I took a break here was that a massive blanket of clouds started rolling in. What I liked about it though was that the top of the ridge still remained in the sun, and the reflection of it in the water was simply pleasing to the eye. In particular when the lake was completely enclosed by the wall towering over it, the water hardly gets stirred, which created a perfect condition for reflections. As long as light was in my favor, there would be no doubt that it was going to be a good shot. While composing, I wondered what it would look like in winter. I made a quick mental note to myself that I may want to come back here in winter. Sometimes it is simply pleasantly surprising to think that no one is around, just like at Hitchcock Lakes. And I loved the way it was. Eventually I decided not to camp here though, simply to gain more distance to Whitney Portal next day. Once I got the shot that I wanted, I scanned the lake for one last time.

Took a stroll

JMT DAY 30 - LATE AFTERNOON AT MARY LAKE Late afternoon at Mary Lake On my way down from Mt. Whitney to Whitney Portal, I changed my mind from spending the night at Trail Camp to going down as far as I could. Henry had been already way ahead of me, and I figured that he may have reached Lone Pine by late afternoon. I made a stop at Mary Lake though, which I had always wanted to check out but never had in the past. Here I took a stroll around the lake looking for a good composition. The odd shape of the towering wall over the lake was quite striking, especially with the reflection in the calm water. Part of me wanted to camp here, but I decided against it. Eventually I was settled at Outpost Camp. I figured that my body, which was quite exhausted from having been up since midnight, would appreciate a good night sleep.

Glorious orange hue everywhere

JMT DAY 30 - SUNRISE AT MT. WHITNEY Sunrise at Mt. Whitney Our Whitney hike began at 1 am. It had been raining on and off, and it wasn’t fun packing up in the light shower. As we were gaining elevation, the rain turned into hail, about green peas size, and it lasted for quite some time. It was cold and treacherous, to say the least. It was still quite dark, gusty and icy cold when I reached the summit. After making an entry in the summit register, we were hunkered down inside the hut, still missing its door, to keep ourselves warm. Semi-rigid fingers from the cold and the stove igniter not working at the high elevation made brewing coffee challenging. We borrowed a lighter from a fellow hiker. Once the blue hour set in though, it was time to step back out. Into the icy cold top of the world. Or the top of the contiguous US (14,505 ft). I carefully tread over the icy rock beds strewn with beads of hail to the summit edge facing Lone Pine and beyond. The rest of the hikers soon followed suit. Someone said the temperature was in the mid-20s. The moment that we had been waiting for finally arrived. The sun rose above the thick marine layer and cast its glorious orange hue everywhere. The warmth came along with it, and Lone Pine came into view. So did the ridge lines behind it. Telescope Peak, highest peak in Death Valley, loomed far away like a mirage.

Any minute

JMT DAY 29 - GOLDEN HOUR NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES Golden hour near Hitchcock Lakes While waiting for the sunset under the gloomy sky, the clouds gave away for the sun to shine a bit. I rushed over to this particular spot of the small lake, not too far from where we were camping. The sun cast a bright golden glow all over the surface that it touched as it shone through the gap between the towering Mt. Hitchcock and the rocky hillside. And I really hoped that this would turn into a decent sunset. The thick blanket of clouds hovered right above the Great Western Divide in the far distance. As if it would further drop and swallow up the entire range any minute.

Icing on cake

JMT DAY 27 - SUNSET AT CRABTREE CAMPGROUND Sunset at Crabtree Campground After reaching Wallace Creek, I don’t know what got into me, but I said to Henry, who had been waiting for me there, that I wanted to keep going. And we did. From Wallace Creek to Crabtree Campground was an uphill battle, which I totally forgot till I was hiking it. But we couldn’t turn around. I couldn’t. So, we kept going. It was late afternoon when we reached the campground, and I was glad that we had enough time to pitch our tents and to get water. The sun was setting over the ridge behind the forest, so it wasn’t something that I could manage to capture. Instead, I turned around and pointed my camera at one of the peaks I saw. And as I expected, the sunset glow was beautifully cast on the slope. And the reflection of the glow in the stream was just the icing on the cake.

In awe of colorful magic show

JMT DAY 27 - SUNRISE AT VIDETTE CAMPGROUND Sunrise at Vidette Campground By the time when I walked back to the clearing in the forest, the sky was slowly gaining light. Unfortunately though it was impossible to catch the sun from where I was. So, instead, I decided to focus on the glow that would be cast on East Vidette Peak. What got me super excited was the clouds that lingered above the peak. What appeared to be smudges of white puffs started changing colors. From white to light pink to intense pink. In awe of the colorful magic show, all I had to do was just enjoy it as much as I could while it lasted.

Then, it came

Still

JMT DAY 25 - KEARSARGE LAKES BEFORE SUNRISE Kearsarge Lakes before sunrise It was pretty dark when I grabbed my gear and started walking towards the lake. But soon it would brighten up and I had to find a spot to plant my tripods before it was too late. Because I wanted to capture the sunrise in both directions, one facing Kearsarge Pinnacles and the reflection of them in the water and the other Kearsarge Pass and reflection of it, I found a spot where the lake was seen in both directions. One of my favorite times of the day is right before sunrise when it’s so calm and still. And it is when the colors are slowly seeping through the cloud filled sky. Of course, it isn’t that common to see clouds lingering in the sky in the Sierra Nevada in summer like that, but it is beautiful when it does. And I knew I was about to have it.

In pink!

JMT DAY 24 - KEARSARGE LAKE AT SUNSET Kearsarge Lake at sunset Did I say darkness fell around me too soon? It was still bright, so my eyes couldn’t make the Milky Way out of the sky. Mars and Jupiter certainly made their presence clear though. All of a sudden, the clouds started glowing in pink! And it was slowly seeping through the calm and clear water. What a serene moment it was. As if a different version of aurora, northern lights, happening. In pink! The last red glow cast on the tips of the pinnacles was truly quite remarkable considering how uneventful and disappointing it looked earlier. But then again it only lasted for a few minutes. As if those glowing embers quickly faded. Then, it was time to get ready for a celestial party.

Glad that I was there

JMT DAY 24 - RAE LAKES AT SUNRISE Rae Lakes at sunrise While having one camera set up facing Fin Dome and catching a beautiful sunrise glow descending upon it, I had the other camera ready and wait for the glow to be cast on the Painted Lady. As strenuous as it was to carry two cameras and multiple lenses during the trip, this was one of those moments where carrying two cameras actually shone. The morning air was fresh and crisp, and the water was calm. Based on two trips to this lake I made, I find that it was rather windy and cold, but also was relatively calm in the early morning and at night. Just looking at the peaks and ridge lit up like crazy was simply worth every ounce of weight that I carried to this lake. All I could reflect at that moment was that life was beautiful and worth living. Because no material things would make me happy. Nothing lasted. Only memories lingered. And I was glad that I was there.

Color blind test

SUPER BLOOM AT WALKER CANYON Super Bloom at Walker Canyon Not much of description needed. California Poppies were everywhere. The green hills were so green that the color contrast against the orange poppies were hurting my eyes. I wondered… Is this a color blind test? How could be these poppies blooming like this? Walker Canyon, Lake Elsinore, CA

Light was escaping fast

SUPER BLOOM AT WALKER CANYON Super Bloom at Walker Canyon I’ve never seen this many California Poppies before. Just mind blowing… My friend and I started the day quite late, and our first stop was Ortega Falls, so by the time when we were trying to enter Walker Canyon, we were moving in our car at 2 MPH on I-15. It took us over an hour to travel a mile. In the end we arrived. I hiked up the fireroad as most people did and started taking photos. Every turn made me super excited. This Super Bloom was seriously mind blowing. The amount of rain that we had had this winter truly turned this otherwise brown hills into something out of this world. The ever changing light due to the constantly moving clouds made the beautiful green hills and slopes that were already painted in patches of orange gave me an opportunity to do some timelapse, which is coming. Stay tuned. I wished I could had stayed longer, but then the light was escaping the area fast. I watched some colors in the sky at sunset and started down the hills.

Can’t wait to go back

ORTEGA FALLS Ortega Falls One of the places this past weekend that I wanted to check out was Ortega Falls. Since we have had a very wet winter, and since it is still very early in the season, it was naturally expected to be flowing quite nicely. When I did a collaboration with a model some time in 2017, however, it was bone dry. Of course, it was then also expected to be that dry. Now what a difference a plenty of rain made this winter. The local mountains are clad with snow, the lakes are full of water and the creeks are flowing nicely. My friend and I started out the day rather late, so when we got there, it was full of people, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it truly tested my patience while waiting for the waterfalls to be cleared. The sun came in and out of the clouds, so I had to wait and made sure that my shots weren't overexposed. I took shots without me in it, but in the end I chose a shot with me in it to share, which adds an extra element to the scene. Can’t wait to go back.

Against spotless blue sky

JMT DAY 23 - RAE LAKES AT SUNSET Rae Lakes at sunset The sunset glow started descending upon Painted Lady (12,125 ft) and Mt. Rixford (12,887 ft) as I was patiently waiting. The orange glow was intense, and the color contrast against the spotless blue sky was vibrant. Almost color blind test vibrant. The winds never seemed to want to die down, and I was worried that the shots would be too shaky. Henry and I met a gentleman named John, who camped near us and seemed interested in what I was doing. We had a long, pleasant conversation about from photography to backpacking, including a fire that broke out near Bubbs Creek, somewhere west of Junction Meadow. He meant to do the Rae Lakes Loop, and the news travelled to him that the hikers were evacuating led by the park rangers but that some were hiking out on their own. And John wasn’t sure if he should take a chance. The light spread across the lake and lit up the rocks as if they were floating in the water. The tip of the Painted Lady, aka Colored Lady or Pyramid, glowed as if it were the tip of a pyramid, which made sense as to how an artist named Bolton Coit Brown named it Pyramid in the first place. Soon the orange glow glow turned vibrant red.

Couldn’t pass up view

JMT DAY 23 - FIN DOME SEEN FROM DOLLAR LAKE Fin Dome seen from Dollar Lake After losing an elevation of over 1,100 feet to Woods Creek Campground, somehow I felt like I could keep going. Maybe because I did the High Sierra Trail (HST), so this part of the JMT was rather familiar. The memory of running into JMT’ers and PCT’ers for the first time while doing the HST flooded back in mind. Henry was waiting there for me, and he was on board with that idea of ending the day at Rae Lakes. After a few minutes of break, we were on our way. However, what I didn’t remember well was how much of elevation gain there was to gain from Woods Creek to Rae Lakes. About 2,000 feet. Ugh… And that wasn’t the best way to remember this particular section as I was huffing and puffing gaining elevation. I was kicking myself up for making that almost spur of the moment decision... But, as the rocky terrain started evening out, I knew that I was getting close to Dollar Lake, which was one of my favorite lakes. Although I didn’t have a whole lot of time at this small but pretty lake, I couldn’t pass up the view of Fin Dome and its reflection in the water. Besides, I needed water. I stopped, filtered water and started taking a few shots while munching on snacks.

Scattered shades of light

JMT DAY 22 - MORNING NEAR SOUTH FORK KINGS RIVER Morning near South Fork Kings River The forest where our campground near South Fork Kings River was tucked in was quite dense, so it wasn’t easy to capture the sunset. Beside, we were completely exhausted. At least, I was. I got some shots of the peaks barely seen through the forest, but that was about it. The winds found it way through the forest. It was cold. Soon night fell. We crawled into our own tents early. Next morning, those skinny, tall pines still made it difficult to capture the sunrise. And it felt colder because they were good at blotting out the sun. We were sluggishly. Before breaking camp, the juxtaposition of my older Fly Creek tent against Henry’s newest while the sun was bursting through the forest caught my eye. The scattered shades of light cast on trees and plants and our illuminated tents begged for a snap. And I would never decline such an opportunity. Till we left the campground, the sun never rose high enough to wrap us in warmth. But then again, what was ahead of us was an elevation gain of over 2,000 ft, and we knew that climbing Pinchot Pass (12,090 ft) would definitely make us gasp for air often and sweat like crazy in the sun.

Beyond what I was anticipating

JMT DAY 19 - PALISADE LAKES Palisade Lakes With about 9-10 lb of resupply that I picked up from Bishop Pass the day before, going down the steep switchbacks of 700 plus feet in elevation to Le Conte Ranger Station junction wasn’t fun for my knees. From there we lost another 600 plus feet in elevation till we turned east and started going up Palisade Creek to Palisade Lakes. 2,500 feet and 6 miles. That’s the elevation we gained and the distance we covered. Under a beating sun, it certainly felt like forever. The notorious Golden Stairs, about which I had had no prior knowledge till the night before when Henry and I went over the next day’s mileage, really kicked my butt. But it wasn’t just the large amount of elevation gain that exhausted me. We rushed because we were worried that we would reach the lakes quite late. And yet it took us 5 hours. It was extremely windy when we arrived at the lakes. With my memory of spending the coldest night at Helen Lake still fresh, I spent about 20 minutes looking for and lugging logs and large stones to my campsite and built a wind block. Then, there was the sunset glow cast on Middle Palisade (14,012 ft) and Mt. Bolton Brown (13,538 ft). The intensity was beyond what I was anticipating. It was worth every step that I put forward to climb the bitchy route up the cliff while huffing and puffing like crazy for hours.

Perpetually still

JMT DAY 19 - DUSY BASIN Dusy Basin I’ve decided to create a small Dusy Basin series within this JMT series because I realized how much I love the basin, of which I simply want to share more. Hope you enjoy what this particular part of the Eastern Sierra offers as much as I did. The water was so calm and clear that I just wished that I could drop everything and spend the entire day just sitting by the lakes. Schools of trouts swimming harmoniously in and out of the crevices of the rocks underwater while the glistening surface in the morning sun seemed perpetually still. Contrary to how beautiful this place was, we hardly saw backpackers. We came across only one camper who was breaking camp, besides the two friendly section-hikers whom we had came across and acquainted at the Le Conte Ranger Station junction the day before. One of them shared his great experience in fly fishing, which convinced me to definitely look into it. Not a single cloud lingering, the warmth of the morning sun persisted, and we were enjoying this day hike without our heavy backpacks on. It was certainly a welcome change of pace, and my mind seemed to continuously wander off throughout this tranquil part of the world.

Mesmerizing reflections

JMT DAY 19 - DUSY BASIN Dusy Basin On our way to and from Bishop Pass, we hiked through one of the most beautiful areas off the John Muir Trail, and that was Dusy Basin. I had heard about its beauty prior to being on the JMT before, but it was just breathtaking. Simply I couldn’t believe my eyes. The basin, which was dotted with several small and large unnamed lakes and was enclosed by the long wall of 12,000 plus feet tall peaks and ridges, which separated the basin from Palisade Basin in the southeast. Among them, Columbine Peak (12,652 ft) stood tall as if it were the focal point. While Dusy Ranch was snaking through it, the tranquil lakes filled with trouts were glistening in the early morning sun. The mesmerizing reflections of the peaks and ridges in the calm water brought me a memory of a family of four whom I had run into at Bishop Pass a month prior to doing the JMT. I was told that the couple with a girl and a boy, looking barely 4 and 5, spent two nights in the basin. The little girl was carrying her own backpack! What a trooper! I can’t wait to go back and enjoy the nights under the thousands of stars!