Eastern Sierra – Page 2 – Lawrence Pallant Photography

Little Lakes Valley is one the places in the eastern Sierra Mountains that draws me back again and again. I have backpacked through it, camped at its lakes in both summer and winter, and climbed one of its peaks. On this day I arrived in camp at about 4 PM during a typical afternoon thunderstorm. At around 6 PM, most of the rain had stopped and I hiked into the valley. I arrived on the rocky knoll below around 7 PM.

Peaceful Knoll, 7:16 PM (taken with mobile phone while scouting compositions)

The first quarter moon was setting behind the ridges on the west side of the valley. I checked the PhotoPills app which showed that twilight ended and night time began at 9:45 PM. It also showed the Milky Way would be visible over Bear Creek Spire at that time. I decided I would stay. At around 9 PM, an hour after sunset, I found a composition and started by taking several beautiful shots throughout twilight as the clouds cleared.

Under the Night Sky, composite, landscape at 9:38 PM and sky at 9:45 PM (12 shots)

After sunset the moon was completely hidden behind the ridges on the west side of the valley, but cast a glow on the opposite ridges and the clouds (in the photo above).

Window to Forever, composite. Sky at 10:10 PM (twelve 15-second shots at ISO 10,000). Landscape at 10:20 PM, I (one long 4.5-minute shot at ISO 1600).

I found myself standing on the top of this rocky knoll in the dark with a steep drop-off a few feet away. The thought of a wrong step was sobering and made me careful with my footing as I moved in the dark. To give you a sense of how close I was to the edge, I include the shot below. My tripod was set up in front of the two small puddles.

I returned on the following evening , initially checking out a different location. After spending some time there, I returned to the rocky rise above the lake to try some other compositions.

In June of 1997, I climbed Mount Dade with my good friend Gary. We probably camped the night before at the Treasure Lakes. It was a snow climb up the Hourglass Couloir, which I read here gets up to a 40° angle. In the picture below, the Hourglass Couloir has no snow. Click on the photo below to enlarge and see the names and elevations of the peaks. I climbed Mount Dade again in June 2011, but only as far as the top of the couloir.

To see the rest of the photos from this trip, click here.

Here are a few more photo from my eastern Sierra autumn trip.

Most of the colorful aspens throughout the areas I visited this year were shades of yellow and gold. I found a few areas with oranges in the mix. I discovered just how varied and temperamental the leaf change is as you change elevations and conditions. At 7,500 feet the aspens were still mostly green. In the photo below, taken at about 9,000 feet, there must have been a wind that came through, since many of the branches were already bare.

Golden Aspens – October 2021 (Prints Available)

I was standing beside the lake, along with several other photographers. It was probably around 6:30am when I arrived. I had my tripod set in a location that I determined the previous evening. We were chatting and waiting for sunrise. Sunrise came and went, creating a soft glow on the mountains. I continued to wait and chat, wondering what the light would do when it hit the ridges on the other side of the lake. I watched as the light hit the tips of the peaks and slowly move down the mountain. There must have been some clouds toward the horizon behind me, which allowed itself to create a soft spotlight on the aspens down by the lake. Within moments, the effect had passed.

Toward the end of my week, a minor snow storm passed through. I decided to explore areas along this creek for compositions. It was snowing during both of these photos below.

I have a few California Vistas calendars left. To learn more about my calendars or purchase one, click here.

To see the full gallery from this trip, click here.

Category: Eastern Sierra

Little Lakes Valley

Autumn in the Eastern Sierra #2