JMT Shot of the day

“Buck I figured so. This is the second time trying the flat bed. The first time trying just color negitive film and the results where not very good either. Looks if I stick learning to shoot slide film that I might need to invest in a better scanner.

BTW where is JMT at very pretty place reminds me a bit of Glacier with its beauty.”

“JMT = John Muir Trail which goes through the High Sierra between Yoskimitty Valley and Mt. Whitney.”

“Those are incredible pictures!! where were those taken? How do you post pictures in a thread like that?

I love photography, some people think my pictures look almost professional, Im not good at taking pictures of people, but I love taking pictures of Animals and nature. Those are awesome pictures, it looks like a cool area.

Edit: I didnt read the thread carefully enough, I know where it is now lol, sorry.
last edited: 2/07/05 6:09:03 PM”

“Skip the suspension bridge over Tully. It's way to beautiful as it is, even darker on one side. Picky as I am with my photos, all I saw was the beauty in yours. I seem to recall you're friends with a UFO driver..... How come he/she/it didn't ferry you over?”

“
Jim boogies through the Ansel Adams Wilderness near Island Pass. I ripped up all these flowers and carefully crammed them in my hair. They were too pretty to just leave 'em there to die. Plus I look hot in yellow and purple.



We hiked in a storm and it partially cleared by the time we reached Garnet Lake. Banner Peak was playing peek-a-boo through the clouds. One thing that makes hiking the JMT difficult is that you want to linger at all the beautiful spots. When Jim thinks we're taking too long at one spot, he farts. That's all the motivation I need to get the flip back on the trail.



This is a meandering creek between Arrowhead Lake and Dollar Lake in Rae Lakes Basin. Let me just say this... if you've never been to Rae Lakes Basin, then you haven't been there. Although you'll mostly like see other backpackers in the area due to the beauty of the place, it also means the chance of seeing a 22 year old neked sunbathing European chick is higher than in wildly remote basins.”

“Yo Brian.....aka Maestro....those Evolution Basin shots....what time of year were they taken?

BTW...the Rae Lakes Basin shot is awesome dude!”

“Gracias! Hmmmm... let's see. We hiked the JMT from mid-August to early September, so it was late August when we camped at Evolution Lake. Let's see, I just looked up when Mars was closest to Earth and it was August 26, so that's when we were there.”

“Hey Buck, do you Photoshop to edit your pics”

“Thanks....I suppose based on this years' precipitation....that a trip through there in early to mid-July would involve some negotiations with snow pack?”

“Howdy Ewker®. I don't know Jack Diddly about Photoshop. My process consists of scanning the slide with Nikon scan software, which I then open up in Photoshop. I then do a quick adjustment of color to match my Velvia 50 slide, sometimes I bump the contrast up a notch (to match the slide if needed), then I hit sharpen once and save it. I don't know about histograms or curves or layering or all the other functions. When I go digital I'll learn more about the program.

stratusloop®, so far the snowpack is around 150% of normal but it could slack off real quick unless we get more snow, but even so mid-July would be fine. You'd have to deal with hard snow on the high passes but enough people will have hiked the trails by then to create an obvious path. I'd be more concerned about the relentless skeeters in mid-July than the snow. Skeeters don't bug me much, they remind me that the trout will be rising, but for some who aren't prepared for the early season skeeter invasion they run out screaming to the nearest trailhead. Mid-July you should find some fresh and amazing wildflower displays.”

“I cannot wait to be there.

"When I go digital......" Would you? Why? It seems like slides offer the most. I keep thinking that when I no longer have to take 100 digital shots to get one keeper, I'll be ready to return to film...........”

“Hi wannabp®! As for going digital, I'd like to get a Canon 20D for my non-magical lighting documentation shots so I don't hafta spend so much on film costs. Plus for the web, digital is cleaner. And eventually digital will get so much better and better that it's really only a matter of time. I still think it has a waze to go still. So my setup of preference right now would be a Canon 20D to document trips and a Pentax 67II medium format film camera for the poster shots.”

“

This is Shadow Creek where the JMT first hits it coming from the north. It was a stormy day with low clouds shrouding the peaks which made the sky light blah grey. 'Light blah grey' is an official color and Crayola has such a crayon in its Professional Crayons edition. I love this area of Shadow Creek in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. There's bazillions of brook trout in the creek and the water is crystal clear and Volcanic Ridge struts handsomely behind it. This section of creek is between Lake Ediza and Shadow Lake. You're apt to see other Earthlings in this particular zone, some of them better looking than others.




As we crested the ridge leaving Garnet Lake, the views toward Banner Peak and Mt. Ritter were dramatic in the lifting storm. At one particular spot it almost looked like a scene out of the Peruvian Andies or something. But no, this is the Ansel Adams Wilderness in CA. I was really craving a burrito at this point.



These are random. On to clearer days... this is Jim and Dave descending towards Little Pete Meadow in Le Conte Canyon. We had camped at Big Pete Meadow a mile or so above and had a lazy morning and didn't hit the trail until around 9:00-ish a.m. I did some fishing that morning so I'm the reason for our late start. Jim and Dave, if you're reading this, I'm sorry, so so sorry. Anyway, we cranked through this wonderful meadow and past Grouse Meadow and then hung a louie once we hit those mountains in the background and started up Palisade Creek. I could be lying though and you'd never know.



Here's a golden trout that I caught near our Big Pete Meadow camp along the M.F. Kings River. Due to pressure from PETA, I immediately released the trout right after the photo. The place is riddled with goldens all along the trail. You could eat them but let me warn you, PETA has snipers along most ridgelines or treetops where the JMT meets fishable waters. Catching trout pisses them off, but eating them is unacceptable and unfathomable. If they don't shoot you, then they will sneak into your camp and put hooks in your freeze-dried noodles.”

“thanks buck.

i'm stealing that golden trout pic.

just thought i'd let you know.

seriously, do you have any more pics of goldens? i'm sorta collecting them.”

“sacco, I don\'t have any others online at the moment, but I have lots of golden trout slides at home. Goldens rule the world. Here\'s a sucky shot of a tiny gold-bow that I posted a couple days ago on another forum.

http://www.yellowstone-natl-park.com/wwwboard/messages4/2366.htm”

“thanks man. if you ever scan some more in, i'd love to see them.

you rock.”

“Catch and eat all the trout you want, please... non-native trout (there were no fish in High Sierra Lakes and most streams until we planted them there) have all but wiped out the native frogs.

Love the Banner Peak and Mt. Ritter shot - I love it when it's stormy! Those times are when you get the best pictures :)”

“That's kind of funny (actually ironic) because the higher elevation lakes and ponds here use to be full of fish and now have none in part to over fishing, but mostly due to acid rain.


Beautiful pictures Buck, as usual. It's getting very tempting for me to come out to CA some time to see these places first hand.”

“Buck, I love the one of shadow creek, the lighting is so soft and muted like, so calm and peaceful.

But the one of garnet lake with someone standing in the left on the boulders I think is a masterpiece! It is breathtaking like looking at the Grand Canyon for the 1st time. Did you go to Sixty lakes basin when you were at rae lakes?”

“
This is Trail Crest on the shoulder ridge to Mt. Whitney. Please, if you hauled a cord of wood up here in your backpack, don't build a fire here. It's illegal. If you didn't bring wood, since we are way above treeline, please don't burn the sign. Otherwise how would we tell you not to burn wood? Plus it's the only wood within miles, so if you DID burn the sign, please haul out the ashes. Thank you.




Here's Jim near Trail Crest as we readied our descent. Jim isn't really leaning back and bent like that, it's just the effect of being on the edge of an ultra wide-angle lens. His modeling agency makes me say this everytime I post this pic.



Here's Jim and Dave cranking down the upper section of the infamous 99 switchbacks down from Trail Crest to Trail Camp, aka Trail Cramp. Since our last real meal was many many days ago at our resupply at Vermilion Resort, we were seriously motivated by cheeseburgers that awaited us down at Whitney Portal, thousands and thousands and thousands of feet below.



Here you can see Trail Camp at center left, which is a small pond. You can't see the bazeeeellions of tents all around it though. Consultation Lake is on the right and you can barely (unless you're clothed) see Lone Pine Lake on the edge of the shelf before the big drop down into the valley. The mountains across the Owens Valley are Inyo face the whole time.

I'm pretty pumped because just now I got my boating permit faxed to me for kayaking Mono Lake this 3-day weekend. I'm paddling the perimiter of the lake, in the snow. I'm so hardcore.”

“cool pics, so that is where I will be this summer when I do the Sierras with the TT'ers from Calif.”

“Oops, sorry madeintahoe, I didn't see your post there. Gracias for the comments. No, unfortunately we didn't take a layover day to go into Sixty Lakes Basin. There are so many side-trips off the JMT that it's mind boggling, but we pretty much stuck to the trail with the time limitations we had. Exploring Sixty Lakes Basin would be great to do while doing the Rae Lakes Loop and taking an extra couple/few days to see it.”

“So Buck, How many of these did you actually stop and setup your tripod for?
I am still crying at the thought of carrying mine this summer, you've already added weight on my pack with the Cokin filter set-up and I haven't even met you ;P”

“Bump! I need my photo fix. Hy Buck, you still kayaking around Mono Lake?”

“Sorry, I got a phone call from a friend of mine in Sacramento, It appears that Buck was finally taken by the aliens. He was probed and then dropped in the Wilderness where he was kidnapped by a Sasquatch and he is now being forced to live in a cave as Bigfoot's concubine.

Maybe we should mount a rescue mission?

We'll probably have to wait until spring...”

“Spring him in the spring..........”

“Whew! I just got back from a 3.472 day winter kayaking expedition at Mono Lake. It's a cold cold cold cold world. Even my farts froze. Even the rangers thought I was whacked out. I had to drag my fully loaded 17' Prijon Kodiak over a mile through the snowy high desert on snowshoes just to reach the freaking shore. I spent one night out on one of the islands more than two miles out. There was not another sole on the entire lake, unless you count the old boot I found. I got snowed on, winded on, fogged on, and sunned on. I took lots of photos which I'll share when I damn well please. Next weekend is another 3-day weekend so me and a buddy are gonna go on a serious Bigfoot expedition up near the Klamath River. We're headed into remote off-trail drainages and such. If we actually see a Bigfoot while looking for one, be suspicious. But we're carrying premo plaster for footprint casts and everything. We're also gonna pack in some road kill for bait and use our new Bigfoot call we devised, which goes something like this... "Heeeeere Bigfoot... come here... come on... yaaaa, gooooOOOoood Bigfoot... come on, come here..." and then do a series of whistles and stuff.

Okay, here's a few more JMT pics.



This is on the ridge trail just below the summit nearing Mt. Whitney. It was morning and windy and freezing cold and not only do you hafta worry about peeing in the right direction up here, it's so cold it's hard to find the feller.


This is from the same ridge but it was taken earlier in the morning on the way up. The above photo was taken on the way down. I love this classic view of the High Sierra from high atop this trail. I found this section of trail more exciting exposure-wise than Forester Pass. You literally are on-top-of-the-world, well, lower-48 speaking. We hike some fresh trout in our packs on this section and throw them at hikers below. It freaks them out. They're like, "what the...?... hey, who's throwing trout at us?"”

“Very nice.”

“Oops, hey paige®, regarding your tripod question... most of the day time shots and the trail shots are handheld, most of the low-light evening/morning shots are tripodededed.”

“Wow, I really like how the folds in the mountains show up. Is that the film or the time of day?

Klamath should be interesting this time of year, what with the rain predicted and all........ That's probably the rainiest place I have ever been. Does your camera wear a rain coat or carry an umbrella?”

“Cool as usual Buck...thanks for sharing...”

“always beautimus!”

“
Here's the JMT as it skirts lower Palisade Lake, on our way to Muthuh Pass, I mean Mather Pass, which is the notch on the right horizon.



Here's the JMT as it crosses Thomas Edison Lake. Actually I'm just joking, the JMT doesn't reeeeally go across the lake. Seriously, I shouldn't kid around like that. This is the boat shuttle across Thomas Edison Lake when we resupplied at Vermilion Resort, which was one of the highlites of our trip. I completely recommend it in a total way. Good food, fun people. The shuttle leaves/arrives in the morning and afternoon and it's only about a mile or so off the JMT to get there. We had a layover day there and showered and ate cheeseburgers and picked up our resupplies and washed clothes and mingled with other JMT thru-hikers. Mingling is fun for all ages.



This is a self-portrait. I jest. This is a fine buck we saw just out of Vidette Meadow along upper Bubbs Creek. Hiking the JMT ain't Yellerstone or anything, but you do see wildlife here and there. After many days of freeze-dried noodles, this buck made a fine meal. Screw PETA. There's few things tastier than crumbled and sautéed deer brain after some fresh marmot leg appetizers. It was tastier than the Sierra bighorn ram we had a couple nights later. Who woulda thought? I'm thinking the fact that the bighorns are endangered makes them a little nervous and toughens up the meat or something. It's just my thoughts. That's all. Take it with a grain of salt and a little Squeeze Parkay.”

“So did you get any good shots on your trip? If this is all there is to the JMT I'm not sure I really want to hike it this summer. I thought you would have gotten at least a couple of good views along the way . . . ;) Just kidding Buckaroo . . . fantastic pics!”

“MAN! I am so jealous right now.

I just wish I could reach into my expansive (expansivly empty)college checking account, jump into my car and drive from Mississippi!

Im getting restless; I have re-stacked my gear like 10 times this week...AHH!”

“Link to bigfoot trips if you want to go.

http://www.bfro.net/news/roundup/exped_next.asp”

“Thanks photoguy190! We actually contacted the BFRO and spoke with them about best places to go this time of year. They recommended the Klamath River drainage in that area. Watch for us on the news. I hope we see a Sasquatch before UFOs abduct us.”

“
A few miles out of Tuolumne Meadows while hiking up the Lyell Fork you come across these beautiful meadows just before you start up towards Donohue Pass. It's black bear central here and we saw a tattered food bag hanging from a tree limb and there was a note on a campfire-ring rock left by previous hikers that a relentless bear kept them up most of the night. We didn't have any problems but we both had bad gas that night.




This is crossing Bighorn Plateau, which was pretty exciting because a lightning storm was moving through the area. We tried to out-wait it in a less exposed area but after a while it appeared the storm would last quite a while so we just jammed across this highly exposed plateau. Thunder shook our bones. I was struck by lightning and killed instantly. It was pretty exciting.”

“I wanna see pictures of your pups, damnit!”

“Wow Buck, it's a good thing you're hiking partner was carrying that emergency defibrillator in his pack or you'd still be dead and we wouldn't have these awsome pics to admire.”

“
These are the mountains behind Marie Lake. I recall Snow Nymph mentioning Marie Lake was perhaps her favorite area of the JMT. Marie Lake is in a very pretty setting, no doubt. Whoever Marie is/was, she should be happy, even if she's dead.



Here's the same peaks in the evening with some blazing alpenglow stuff on the upper situation zone area of the peaks. We camped here for the night. We preferred to hike during the day and sleep during the night.



Here's my humble abode... my MSR Heptawing at our Marie Lake campsite. It dumped like crazy for much of the night with blustering winds, but I stayed totally dry all night long except for some soaking around my groin area. But that was unrelated to the tarp. I usually set up my little American flag at each campsite because I love our country more than liberals.



Here's another alpenglow view of the same peaks. The sunset that night just before the storm was one of the best we had. It painted the wilderness and the sky with a strange pink glow. After the sun went down it went dark.




Here's a more inclusive view of our campsite at Marie Lake during the late afternoon. Don't worry, I know the people in this photo.”

“That guy in the red hat has a look that says "Boy, you got a purdy mouth."”

“Oh, and nice shots. I'm envious.



Well, not of the last one.”

“Sorry I missed you. I will be out of the office until Tuesday while on a Bigfoot expedition. Please leave a bleeping message after the beep. If you need immediate assistance, too freaking bad. (beeeeeeep)”

“I lawk it a lawt. The sunset pics are my favorite. The colors are amazing. Did you see my follow up post on the thread on the infamous thread?”

“Where are you going Buck?”

“bitpusher®, my mouth IS purdy.

currahee®, yes, I saw that, gracias, it's cool!

Wind Walker®, we're headed off too *poof*... ... ... ... ... ... *whoomf* sorry, I'm back now, I had to run off real quick, can't say why, didn't mean to be rude, it's the nature of my work. But to answer your question, we're headed off to some drainages off the Klamath River, more towards the mouth, which is real purdy. We're gonna look for Bigfoot in some remote areas, preferrably while looking out the tiny windows of a large cigar shaped craft with rotating lights, but we're willing to hike on foot if necessary, sometimes you can't count on an abduction. I'll give you a buzz on your shoephone for more details. *poof* .... ... *whoomf*, sorry, I forgot to say goodbye... BYE! *poof*”

“WOW! I think I'm in love.

You do to a camera what Tony Rice does to a guitar! gives me shivers!”

“Buck - I gotta ask....do you mean that you love your country more than you love liberals or you love your country more than liberals love your country? Cause I'm a liberal and I gotta say - I sure love my country!!”

“Yeah, thanks!

It's okay to post a bigfoot picture here, if you get a good one....... Who am I kidding? Of course, it will be a good one. I'm sure, with their stride, they get over to the Hhigh Sierra sometimes.”