Dan's Outside

But Even When The Aspens Have Dropped All Their Leaves…

… there is still plenty to see.

Piute Crags and North Lake. Sierra Nevada, California. October 7, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell.

I spent last weekend in the eastern Sierra, photographing some of the last, best aspen color of the 2007 season. However, is some places the color had already gone by the time I arrived, including North Lake. North Lake can produce some of the most sublime aspen color displays in the Sierra – if you time your visit just right. There is an astonishing aspen “tree tunnel” along the side of the lake, and above the far shore a large grove extends from near the shore to far up the mountainside.

But I arrived too late this year. I already knew this while driving the gravel road to the lake, as I had seen past-prime aspen groves at lower elevations nearby. But all was not lost: a dusting of new autumn snow covered Piute Crags, which were reflected in the still waters of the lake.

While aspen season is astonishing, the Sierra is spectacular just about any time of the year.

October 14, 2007 - Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary, Sierra Nevada