Big Bear, CA
I quiet mountain community full of back country adventure.
Eastern Sierras, Fall 2002
In late October I managed to get away from the office again, and again headed to the High Sierras. It is not a difficult decision to travel to the stomping grounds of Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, and John Muir which is located just over 250 miles from my house. My brother and I again, over packed my Jeep, and set off for the Eastern Sierras early on a Saturday morning. Just over 6 hours later, we pulled into our camping site at Silver Lake campground, in the June Lake Loop.
After a very cold nights sleep, we took a short drive up to Mono Lake to a short hike to the Mono Lake Fissures, and a little bird watching. The Mono Lake fissures are found on Black Point and just of short hike over some steep and sandy terrain. No trails to be found, but a fun adventure none the less. My brother the Field Biologist went crazy over the bird populations to be found in the inland dead sea of California. After a week listening to my brother, I must admit that I am starting to develop an appreciation for our feathered friends. Mono Lake is a wonderful place for birding, as it is a major food source, and is the breeding ground for 80 – 90% of the California Gull population depending upon whom you believe.
Monday morning found another cold morning for us. We packed up our gear, and headed for a short drive over the Tioga Pass, and into Yosemite Valley. I had visited the valley the previous year, and vowed to return quickly. My first afternoon in the valley was spent exploring the Merced River, and composing reflections of Half Dome.
After a noisy nights sleep, we began our days activities. On the short list we wanted to visit the Mariposa Grove, and Glacier Point. The Mariposa Grove is a ‘small’ grove of Giant California Redwood trees. Small is a relative term, when you are describing the largest living things on the planet, but I personally was expecting huge numbers of these large trees. The scale of these trees is just amazing, and to compare them to any other thing, does not do them justice. After a quick 4 miles hike among the Giants, we drove to Glacier Point for the late afternoon light.
Glacier Point could quite frankly summarize the image of Yosemite. On on high granite pedestal, Glacier Point projects into the middle of the valley, and from a single location, one can see Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, North Dome, and of coarse the ever noble Half Dome. I knew what to expect when we pulled into the parking lot and took the short hike to the point, but to describe this place with words would be pointless for me. I choose to narrative this place 1000 words at a time. As the sun dropped, along with the temperature, the light on the Half Dome, yellowed and warmed the timeless granite. Just after sun down, the view of Hale Dome took a magnificent metamorphosis. The sun light shown turn the length of Yosemite Valley, through the narrow valley door and shown a wonderful pink alpen glow against the pastel blue sky!
The next day, we took a bit of a hiatus, and just wondered around the valley floor. A quick stop at the Visitor Center, and store accompanied a walk down the Merced River towards Mirror Lake.
Our time in the Yosemite Valley was unfortunately over, we headed back over Tioga Pass, and met up with a friend on Convict Lake just South of Mammoth Mountain. A small lake nestled in the glacier carved val lies of the sierra, Convict lake is a prime location for fishing, and my brother quickly caught three trout just feet from our campsite. We headed towards Mammoth to pick up much needed supplies.
We we started the next day, our newly enlarged party headed towards the Minaret Wilderness, Devil’s Postpile National Monument, and the San Joaquin river valley. On our daily hike, we jumped into the Ansel Adams Wilderness and dropped over to Rainbow Falls.
On our final full day, we again drove to Mono Lake as part of our show and tell to my friend. We spent the afternoon soaking in the Hot Springs just south of Mammoth.
** I took over 7 rolls of film on this trip. Unfortunately, during development the lab destroyed all of the images that I worked so hard to capture. I have only memories of this wonderful trip, and my galleries will not grow. **
Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, Spring 2003
After a surprise day off, I another chance to visit the western end of Antelope Valley to play around with my camera at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. I was not as excited this time around as the flower bloom was intense, but not nearly as spectacular just a few days before. But, a day out is a day out, and I was going to enjoy it. Nature was against us on this day, we had beautiful light, nice cloud layer to diffuse some light, and a 25 mph breeze that would just not let up all day.
My goal this spring was to get a nice flower shot that I would desire to blow up as a photograph, however, these conditions were not condusive towards this task and a true exercise in patience. It looks likely that I will not reach this goal this season, the flowers bloom has begun to wane, and my only hope appears to be in the foothills of the eastern sierras in a few weeks.
Continue Reading →Red Rock Canyon, CA Winter 2004
In the winter of 2004, I decided to purchase a 4×5 camera. The reasons are too many to go into in this report. So, in February my brother and I jumped into my Jeep and drove North towards Red Rock Canyon about 2 hours away. It was a beautiful day, and we almost made it all the way to Red Rock Canyon before my Jeep turned up a little 4×4 trail leading up to an old mining district.
The hike in this area was amazing. A short hike from the car, and it seemed we traveled years back in time as we hiked up the narrow valley towards the mine opening. We scouted the area before I hiked back down to the mine opening that grabbed my attention. The dark sun dried wood held back the collapse of the purple and yellow rock piled high above.
This simple black and white polaroid was my first large format taken in the wilderness. I was amazed when I opened up the lens and peered through the ground glass for the first time. My imagination soared when I realized I was using equipment very similar to the great photographer of the past. Looking at an abandon mine through the glass of a camera that will be abandoned by technology seemed poetic. It took my 15 minutes to compose, re meter, compose, double-check and finally press the cable release to capture this image, but the time flew by in my world. The camera and subject matter may be a scene from the past, but I think that this image represents my future.
Utah Trip Report, Fall 2003
This year’s trip was very unique, and will be hard to document in way that is interesting Utah trip. My immediate reaction is to throw up a ton of images and just write “look where I went”.
This years adventure started during the California Wildfires. Friends and family homes located in the San Bernardino Mountains were danger as we left and not all the news we had was good. My brother and I piled into his Four Runner under the smoke filled dawn and made the eight-hour drive to Zion National Park in Utah.
Since we had just over a days wait for our companions for the trip. My brother and I did several hikes out and around the main canyon in Zion while we waited for my photography partner and good friend John Farkas and his wife Abby to arrive.
A quick hike up to the Emerald Pools left us with a great view, but view great photographic opportunities. The quick moving white clouds above gave us great-diffused light, but this light would quickly vanish and made composing and hit and miss venture. That evening, we dropped in on Michael Fatali, and were fortunate enough to get a tour of his dark room and a little map review as well. Thanks Michael!
After losing a day to travel, we awoke near Dance Hall Rock in the Escalante Wilderness. After a morning breakfast we loaded up our backpacks and head out across the sand trail towards “Crack in the Wall”. “Crack in the Wall” is a “Class 2” rock scamper. Since we didn’t know that this really was, we didn’t worry too much as we hiked closer towards the canyon wall. We hiked over prehistoric petrified dunes, dried water pools, and cow trails as we edged ever closer towards the infamous “Crack in the Wall”.
“Crack in the Wall” is perhaps the most descriptive named structure that I have run across to date. A narrow crack in the towering canyon walls was formed by a large section of stone cleaving away from wall. Perhaps one of the more interesting hiking trails I have seen, we removed our heavy frame backpacks, broke out our rope, and quickly lowered the packs past the narrowest section of the trail. Another twenty minutes of hiking found us near the Escalante River. Light danced on the canyon walls, and reflections glowed in the shallow creek as we explored the canyons looking for the light.
After a three-hour hike out of the canyons of the Escalante River, we planned our next days excursion. The decided to head east down the John Burr trail and towards Capital Reef National Park. The Burr Trail is a nice paved windy road that is perhaps one of the most scenic roads I have traveled. We stopped many times on our travels this find day, as the diffused light was booming. Water carved towers of rock illuminated by the soft Utah sun passed by as we drove deeper and deeper into Capital Reef.
Another day of driving took us back towards Los Angeles. We were sad to see our expedition coming to a close, but time was against us. However, we still found time to visit a slot canyon just a few miles away from our route. We certainly could not pass this opportunity
Round Valley Draw slot canyon opens up in a streambed after a very short hike from the trailhead. We walked down the side of the canyon to survey the canyon before lowering ourselves deep into the heart of the Earth. I have stated it previously, but walking a slot canyon is a magical experience. Time, Water, and Sand carve these beautiful canyons for us to visit, and you just cannot appreciate this place until you have been there.
Another wonderful Utah trip.
Death Valley, Spring 2002
Death Valley was a bit different from my experience last year. Last year, we explored the northern valley and drove over 250 miles per day. This year our goal was to see the central valley. My usual plan is to explore during the day, and scout locations. When the sun’s rays grow long in the afternoon, I am quickly off to take photos
The trip started with a short drive over to the ghost town of Skidoo for various mine exploring. The town itself is long since gone but, the the hills remain riddle with hundreds of mines, tailings, and tunnels. The only structure that remains is the mill, but the structure is now marked unstable, and explorers are discouraged from entering the site.
Later on this day, I took a hike out into the Dunes. I found it very frustrating to see the huge volume of tracks from previous hikers and explorers. The majority of whom, seemed determined to continually stand or walk along the fragile ridges of the wind swept dunes. Compost ion proved to be a nightmare, and I did not want to bring home an image with foot prints in it. I continued on my way, dune after dune after dune. I found my subject on the far end of the dunes. Over one more ridge and the sand turned back into the wasteland that is the central valley floor. The image I saw in my head, was a low angle shot that pushed the depth of field, with a shallow sweeping curve of the dune ridge created by the strong desert winds. I did not get the exact composition that I was looking for, but the results have there own charm. I the failing desert light, I headed back across the dunes with my brother and arrived in camp well after sundown.
The next day in the valley typified the valley for me. In the morning we headed off for Darwin Falls, and I had some success. Later in the day, we encountered a violent wind storm. Sand rose hundreds of feet into the air, as I watched my chances for more work in the dunes vanish under the shifting sands. I might risk my self out in that storm, but I wouldn’t dare sand blast my camera lens in these harsh conditions. I spent the evening light enjoying a cocktail as I watch the sunset. I snapped a few of the sunset, but the light failed to turn, and I only really capture a far off desert sand storm.
We awoke the final day, and as the sun peaked over the horizon, the now familiar winds began again with a vengeance. Our camp was pummeled under the onslaught, as we watched as another campers tent gently flew overhead at an altitude of about 75 feet, and take off across the desert at high speeds. The majority of the day was spent traveling around the main valley hot sports. Even in early April, we could feel the heat of this place.
As the day waned, my brother and I drove towards the yellow hills of Zabriskie Point. Our friend the wind continued to follow us, and fellow visitors laughed a bit when they say me composing image with my camera, and putting all of the 6’1″ frame on top of the tripod to pin the camera to the earth to prevent distortion caused by the wind. It was under these conditions that I missed my first great shot. We by car in the hills above Zabriskie Point. While driving I took a quick glance in the side mirror and saw the most brilliant golden hue I have ever seen. My brother must have thought me insane as I slammed on the breaks, turned off the road, and grabbed my camera. I took off running. I needed some high ground to compose my shot. The late afternoon sun managed to piece the blackening ski, and found the yellow hills. The resulting color and light can never be described. Unfortunately, I was 5 seconds too late. As I opened the shutter, the intensity of light failed along with my opportunity.