The last couple years I have been limited on my fall shooting due to other commitments, so this past fall I worked really hard to free my schedule for a couple trips down the Eastern Side of the Sierra to some of my favorite locations. The first trip I spent a great day exploring Hope Valley South of Lake Tahoe. After seeing images from this area for so many years it was great to finally get to put my own creative spin on the area's aspens. After a little advice from my friend and Tahoe area photographer Rachid Dahnoun on both locations and current conditions I came away with several stunning images.
After Hope Valley I focused my energies in several of the canyons found running into the Sierra from HWY 395. After some great success in Rock Creek and Bishop Creek, I ended my first trip by spending a day in four-wheel drive exploring the rocky dirt roads around Conway Summit. Where I ended up finding an old sheepherders cabin that was in amazing condition.
The following week Jen and I were in the role of guides as we lead a
group of Naturalists including our friends John and Kathe Hendrickson
from Clipper Mills, and Paulo and Norma Velerio from Costa Rica around
the Sierra and Yosemite.
We began our adventure by attending the annual Woodleaf Outdoor School "Man party". Which had us doing all manner of "Manly" activities including Axe throwing, Skeet Shooting, Log Splitting, Boulder Tossing, and of course beer "observation". After the event we packed in a quick canoe paddle on a local lake before heading to historic Nevada City and our house for the night.
After a relaxing night at home, we took the group to Tahoe and found a bear for the Costa Rican's. Its amazing someone who has so many venomous snakes in their country could be so worried about a "little" black bear eating Salmon! Over the next few days we worked our way south to Bodie, Mono Lake, Lundy Canyon, June Lake, and several "secret" aspen groves along the way.
Despite having had a fairly low snow winter, and dry summer we were able to find some pockets of amazing fall colors. After spending so many years photographing in the Eastern Sierra during different seasons its great to be able to adapt to conditions to find those "hidden" spots.
After exploring the Eastside for a few days, we loaded all our gear and
headed for Yosemite Valley via Tioga Pass. Seeing the alpine
environment and grand vistas was a big change of scenery for people who
normally live in a very dark tropical rainforest. After spending a
couple days exploring Yosemite we ended our portion of the trip by
watching the sunset at Glacier Point. Sadly while the rest of the group
headed to the coast under the direction of John & Kathe, Jen and I
had to head back to Nevada City for other commitments.
In the end after missing the past couple falls in the Sierra because of other shooting commitments, it was amazing to share the place we love with some of our best friends. After so many times in Costa Rica being "guided" by Paulo & Norma it was really fun to return the favor. Now of course it's just a matter of time till we will be back in Costa Rica asking Paulo to find me a Quetzal nest so I can photograph it.
