Tree, Boulders, and Shoreline

Tree, Boulders, and Shoreline
An old, gnarled tree grows among shoreline boulders, Yosemite National Park.

Tree, Boulders, and Shoreline. © Copyright 2021 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

An old, gnarled tree grows among shoreline boulders, Yosemite National Park.

This photograph comes from a short trip to a popular Yosemite National Park backcountry lake more than a decade ago. It was the very beginning of autumn, and I managed to squeeze in a short escape between back-to-college meetings and the start of a new academic term. A group of fellow photographers was beginning a back-country stay of a bit more than a week, so I decided to join them for the first few days. (It turned out that my need to leave early was perhaps fortuitous — they reported to me that a few days after my departure an early season snow storm came in and dropped temperatures as low as five degrees!)

Autumn is the quiet season in the Sierra, or at least it was a decade ago. The summer crowds begin to thin after Labor Day, and by the end of September and the first half of October the backcountry seems almost deserted. It is a time to sit quietly and take in the scene before the winter snow arrives.


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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