Precipice Lake
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:55 pm
On a trans-Sierra pack trip this summer (west to east on the High Sierra Trail) I had the good fortune to revisit Precipice Lake in good photography conditions. This lake is on the HST high above Hamilton Lake, not too far before the crossing of Kaweah Gap, and the location is one you might recognize from a famous 1932 Ansel Adams photograph. You might also recognize it if you have seen Vern Clevenger's fine image from this lake.
In any case, when I arrived (in early August) we had broken clouds that were alternating illuminating parts of the lake and then providing some more subdued lighting. The first shots I tried were from more or less what I think of as "Ansel's spot" on rocks along the shoreline where the ascending trail first comes up to the lake.
I spent a fair amount of time carefully photographing this scene from this position, using tripod, remote release and all the usual stuff. Finally, it was time to move on. I loaded up the camera and equipment, packed the tripod away, shouldered my pack and headed perhaps 150 feet up the switchbacks above the lake...
... and then looked back to see beautiful light coming over the top of the cliffs above the lake and illuminating the underwater boulders that are found at the base of a talus slope along the lake shore. For a moment I almost didn't bother to shoot - believe it or not, I didn't want to go to the trouble of unpacking everything so soon. But my better instincts won out and I quickly unloaded and managed to get a few shots off before the light changed.
G Dan Mitchell - http://www.gdanmitchell.com
In any case, when I arrived (in early August) we had broken clouds that were alternating illuminating parts of the lake and then providing some more subdued lighting. The first shots I tried were from more or less what I think of as "Ansel's spot" on rocks along the shoreline where the ascending trail first comes up to the lake.
I spent a fair amount of time carefully photographing this scene from this position, using tripod, remote release and all the usual stuff. Finally, it was time to move on. I loaded up the camera and equipment, packed the tripod away, shouldered my pack and headed perhaps 150 feet up the switchbacks above the lake...
... and then looked back to see beautiful light coming over the top of the cliffs above the lake and illuminating the underwater boulders that are found at the base of a talus slope along the lake shore. For a moment I almost didn't bother to shoot - believe it or not, I didn't want to go to the trouble of unpacking everything so soon. But my better instincts won out and I quickly unloaded and managed to get a few shots off before the light changed.
G Dan Mitchell - http://www.gdanmitchell.com
