Dan's Outside

I go, I see, I do, I walk, I think, I like…

A Photograph of the Photographer

Tom Clifton took a picture of me on the summit of Mission Peak at sunrise that I like quite a bit! Thanks, Tom!
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November 24, 2006 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on A Photograph of the Photographer

Mission Peak: Sunrise, Rocks, and Mount Diablo

MissionPeakRocksBW2006|11|23: Sunrise, Rocks, Mount Diablo. Mission Peak, California. November 23, 2006. © "copyright g dan mitchell" ("sales") keywords: mission peak mount diablo rocks sunrise dawn san francisco bay area california black and white photograph

Sunrise, Rocks, Mount Diablo. Mission Peak, California. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (Sales)

As is often the case, the photo reveals a “different truth” about the scene than you might have experienced had you actually been there. When I look at this photo it evokes warm light from the newly-risen sun and a quiet morning.

In truth, it was freezing, a damp gale was screaming across the summit, and I had to weight down the tripod to keep the camera from blowing over… :-)
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November 24, 2006 Posted by | Mission Peak | Comments Off on Mission Peak: Sunrise, Rocks, and Mount Diablo

Mt. Diablo at Dawn

MissionDiabloFog2006|11|23: Mount Diablo from Mission Peak, Dawn. November 23, 2006. © "copyright g dan mitchell" ("sales") keywords: mount diablo mission peak sunrise dawn fog color photograph california

Mount Diablo from Mission Peak, Dawn. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (Sales)

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November 23, 2006 Posted by | Mission Peak | Comments Off on Mt. Diablo at Dawn

Mission Peak Shadow

RandyJohnTomMission2006|11|23: Randy, John, Tom. Mission Peak. November 23, 2006. © "copyright g dan mitchell"

Randy, John, Tom. Thanksgiving Dawn Hike, Mission Peak. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell

Randy, John Fedak, and Tom Mangan contemplate the dawn shadow of Mission Peak.
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November 23, 2006 Posted by | Trips | Comments Off on Mission Peak Shadow

Two-Heel Drive Reports on Our Thanksgiving Adventure

Tom has posted a trip report over at Two-Heel Drive, thus diminishing my obligation to describe our trip in detail:

Turkey Day dawns at Mission Peak. So much for the full moon. Actually there was no moon at all when I got to the Mission Peak trailhead and saw a couple parked cars and shadows of headlamp-wearing humans milling about. John Fedak is the first face… [Two-Heel Drive]

Tom got some great photographs as well, so wander on over and take a look.

I think we were surprised by the high winds and cold conditions on the summit. The majority of the uphill hike on the west side of Mission Peak before dawn was seasonably cool, but nothing surprising. However, once we crested the ridge just north of the peak we were hit by quite a wind and the temperature dropped quickly.

The summit was surprisingly cold. I was OK in my poly layers and a shell, but just barely. Randy was shivering by the time we started down. Tom Clifton seemed to be the best prepared, sitting in the lee of a large rock and cracking open a thermos of hot coffee.

November 23, 2006 Posted by | Trips | 1 Comment

Thanksgiving Day – Mission Peak and Mount Diablo Sunrise

MissionDiablo2006|11|23: Mission Peak and Mount Diablo, Sunrise. November 23, 2006. © "copyright g dan mitchell". ("sales") keywords: mount diablo mission peak rocks fog sunrise dawn california color photograph

Mission Peak and Mount Diablo, Sunrise. November 23, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

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November 23, 2006 Posted by | Mission Peak | Comments Off on Thanksgiving Day – Mission Peak and Mount Diablo Sunrise

Mission Peak Sunrise Hike – We're Back!

We’re back (Tom Mangan, Tom Clifton, Randy, John Fedak, and I) from the First Annual Pre-Dawn Sunrise Ascent of Mission Peak. It was dark. It was cold – especially on the summit. It was a beautiful sunrise.

Tom Clifton’s photos

Tom Mangan’s story and photos

My photos will be posted later.
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November 23, 2006 Posted by | Events | Comments Off on Mission Peak Sunrise Hike – We're Back!

Twelve hours from now…

… we may be starting to think about our descent from Mission Peak after enjoying the sunrise (or its cloud-covered surrogate) on Thanksgiving Day. (Early-rising and energetic Bay Area residents are welcome to join us!)
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November 22, 2006 Posted by | Trips | Comments Off on Twelve hours from now…

Aspen Grove, North Lake

Aspen Grove, North Lake: Aspen Grove. North Lake, California. October 1, 2006. © "copyright g dan mitchell". ("sales") keywords: aspen grove north lake bishop creek california sierra nevada black and white photograph

Aspen Grove. North Lake, California. October 1, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

This is one of those photographs that had to sit for awhile before I could see what was in it. It was taken in the lower portion of a large aspen grove that spreads up the hillside above North Lake in the Bishop Creek drainage. I was there earlier this fall and, after shooting the obvious gaudy colors around the lake, I decided to walk into this grove where the light was very interesting because of the yellow leaf canopy and the changing light as clouds moved overhead.

When I got home I liked the photo but couldn’t quite figure out how to handle it because there was so much yellow in it – the leaves overhead, the glow on the trees, the foliage on the ground. It wasn’t until earlier this week that it finally made sense to me to crop it a bit and try this monochrome version.
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November 22, 2006 Posted by | Sierra Nevada | Comments Off on Aspen Grove, North Lake

Non-Summer Weather

Two-Heel Drive points to a story about a women who was lost but survived in snowy conditions, and goes on to comment about the importance of understanding the weather conditions during different seasons.

Many California backpackers (yes, I’m one of them) lead a sheltered life in terms of weather. Not only do we usually experience successive days of lovely, warm (and eventually boring) weather in the Sierra, but when it does rain there in the summer it rarely amounts to more than an hour or two of afternoon thundershowers followed by a glorious sunset.

However, that is summer and the other seasons are not. Many of us who have backpacked into the fall season in the Sierra recall the first time we learned the difference. My lesson was a gentle one. On a mid-October trip into the Cathedral Lakes area it began to cloud up in the afternoon – much as it might on a summer afternoon. Not thinking too much about this we ascended a ridge and were perched up high enjoying the view when one member of the party exclaimed, “Hey! It’s snowing!”

We stayed there for awhile, enjoying the surprise of light snow before it occurred to us that the reason it was snowing was that a Pacific front was moving through, and that this was not necessarily your friendly little afternoon shower. We left the ridge and headed back to our campsite as the mix of snow and rain began to come down harder.

We were lucky; the front more or less washed out over us and we had only a couple hours of this weather before it turned clear and cold. However, I have heard stories about summer-conditioned backpackers who did not recognize the difference between the weather they were used to and these winter-like Pacific storms… until they emerged from their tents two days later when it finally cleared up.
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November 21, 2006 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Non-Summer Weather

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