What peak (if any) is this?

[BSquared]

Not sure whether this is exactly the correct forum for this, but I had to start someplace. I took this picture this summer while camped at the last truly habitable campsites north of Forester Pass; those who have been over the pass will know just where: a small plateau immediately above treeline with magnificent views of University Peak and the rest of the Sierras to the north. This photo was taken toward the southwest; Forester Pass itself, though out of site, is just below the left shoulder of the peak in the photo. I think from looking hard at the topo map and my compass that the moon is setting over Mt. Stanford, but none of the photos I can find on the Internet of Mt. Stanford look much like this. So the question: is this really Mt. Stanford, and if not, what is it?

[John Dittli]

Mt Stanford. Below is a shot from my new book, Walk the Sky: Following the John Muir Trail. Looks like a match!

[rlown]

I'm not saying this is a fullproof method, but if you know where you are, you can actually look in google earth, get to the place you took the pic, and pan around to see what you see and compare it to what is there.

I look at some of the input on this site about places and "go there" in google earth and then pan and tilt.

so, this is what i looked at when you posted:

Mt stanford.jpg

Granted, JohnD's post was more exact, you can get a pretty good idea of what you were looking at in google earth, IFF you know where you took it from.

Russ

[BSquared]

OK, thanks much guys, I feel vidicated! John, you took that picture from the very plateau I was speaking of, although you were at the south end of it and I was at the north (and, of course, you were using a wide-angle lens and I was zoomed in as tight as I could get it, for the moon). I'll definitely have to check out your book -- glad I gave you the opportunity for some publicity . When we were there this year (late July) the dark rocks in the center of the prominent cliffs in the middle ground had a striking "X" where two waterfalls converged and then separated; very cool!

I don't know why I didn't think of Google Earth myself, Russ! I've used it several times for exactly that purpose; just slipped my mind. Your view is from a bit higher up, where the trail skirts that lake in the foreground, but it shows Mt. Stanford quite nicely.

Thanks again!