Dan's Outside

"Hi, are you Dan Mitchell?"

Occasionally I run into someone I know on the trail – even while backpacking in out-of-the-way places in the Sierra. But it is very unusual to run into someone I haven’t met who already knows me!

Today I hiked to Mission Peak, thinking I would arrive at the summit by dawn. Unfortunately, circumstances kept me from getting on the trail in time for that, though I did start out in the darkness. In early light I arrived on the ridge just to the south of the peak, and I set up my tripod and camera to photograph the light beginning to strike a ridge to the west.

About this time a hiker came along the trail, descending from the peak. As she approached she said, “Hi, are you Dan Mitchell?” Now that was a surprise! It turned out that she had seen some of my Mission Peak photographs and guessed that if she ran into someone on the Mission Peak ridge with camera and tripod there was a fairly good chance that it might be me. Diane and I spent 10 minutes or so talking about the peak – it turns out that she had seen some photographs I posted earlier this year (see below) and realized that she had been on the peak the day I took them. (It was a very unusual morning, with fog completely covering the valleys below and high, wispy clouds above.)

I understand that I missed a sunrise birthday party for an 85 year old hiker at the summit. Reports are that there was champagne and cake!

Two Monoliths, Mission Peak (monochrome). September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

Mt. Diablo, Fog. Mission Peak Ridge. September 2, 2006. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

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October 28, 2006 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on "Hi, are you Dan Mitchell?"