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Photo Highlights

A patch of brilliant pink heather grows above Bergona Lake.
Prickly Pear glows a brilliant pink among the drab sagebrush.
An old mine shaft leads into the heart of Basin Mountain.
Erin and Dannique downclimb a crack system on the south face of Basin Mountain as Mt Humphreys towers above.
Tiger Lilies hang like bespeckled lanterns.
Iris.
Columbine and Iris.
Columbine mingles with the Tiger Lilies.
Crimson Columbine.
Rock Creek winds toward Long Lake in a mesmerizing turquoise.
Sky Pilot grows on the barren soil high above Little Lakes Valley.
Pyramid Peak, Bear Creek Spire, and Pipsqueak Spire
The Ritter Range.
Mt Ritter and Banner Peak Mt Ritter and Banner Peak reflect in Shadow Lake on a serene summer morning.
From many angles Mt Dana appears to just be a pile of rocks but from Lee Vining Peak its impressive north face stands as massive pyramid above the Dana Plateau, flanked by the Dana Couloir and Solstice Couloir.
A beautiful tarn beckons from a bench high above June Lake.
Just a bit of summertime fun on Mt Wood last month!
Tall mountains and deep canyons alternate as the Sierra Crest stretches north from Mt Wood.
A Mono Lake sunrise can make anything look magical, but I really do love my new home sweet home away from home!
Chris wades through a sea of irises toward The Thumb. I had warned him we might have to hike 2,000ft before we hit the snow line, but in the end we hiked nearly 5,000ft!
The sun sets early when 14ers block the horizon, but sometimes it only makes the light show more spectacular!
Sometimes 2,000 ft of snow is worth the climb, even when it's only a foot wide in places!
Earning turns below the Mammoth Crest on a beautiful spring day with beautiful friends!
Rafee admires the line we just skied down the east face of Mt Irvine.
The highlight of any ski trip is always the downhill, but sometimes daydreaming about future lines can be just as fun! Who wants to ski this beautiful Sierra hallway with me next year?
A sea of 14,000 ft peaks comprise the view north from Mt Irvine; Mt Muir, Mt Whitney, Mt Russell, Mt Williamson, and Split Mountain (not to mention Mt Langley just to the south).
Rafee scopes out the route below Mt Mallory as Mt Whitney's massive summit peers over a 13,500 ft ridgeline.
The Sierra are still holding plenty of snow above 9,000 ft!
14,505 ft.
Rafee skis back to the car at South Lake after a hard day's work harvesting some of the biggest corn I've ever seen.
Rafee enjoys his first corn experience below Cloudripper! The east side corn harvest is in full swing!
Morgan reaches for the summit of Black Butte on a perfect spring day of serendipitous hiking!
Good friends climb a mountain with you. Great friends bring beer to share!
I heard someone grumble "I hate billygoating," but it seems like we all had a great time climbing Jacks Peak last week!
I heard someone grumble "I hate billygoating," but it seems like we all had a great time climbing Jacks Peak last week!
I heard someone grumble "I hate billygoating," but it seems like we all had a great time climbing Jacks Peak last week!
Chris and Jamie scope out the descent from Pyramid Peak.
Lovers Leap basks in the morning sun. It's almost climbing season in the High Sierra again!
Retreat. After spending an hour and a half trying and ultimately failing to find a route up the last two hundred feet of Matterhorn Peak, I retraced my boot pack to the top of the west couloir. I was disappointed to miss the summit, but it's hard to be upset for long when one of the best ski descents in the Sierra Nevada awaits me!
Zach takes in Horse Creek Canyon from the top of a small rise.
Good morning! Last Friday I set off to summit Matterhorn Peak and took this spectacular sunrise as a good sign. Omen or not, the mountain had a different plan for us!
Good morning! Last Friday I set off to summit Matterhorn Peak and took this spectacular sunrise as a good sign. Omen or not, the mountain had a different plan for us!
It might be Fishmas but it will be a while longer before anyone fishes in Francis Lake!
So many options... When I returned to the car last Thursday someone asked me "did you find any untracked snow up there?"
So many options... When I returned to the car last Thursday someone asked me "did you find any untracked snow up there?"
Mono County moves heaven and earth (and many thousands of tons of snow) to open the road for tomorrow's fishing opener - thanks fishers!
2,000 ft of midwinter conditions on a bluebird day in April! I love California!
Nothing better than summiting a peak and spotting a gorgeous line that had been hidden from sight all day! From the summit of Bloody Mountain, the Red Slate Couloir is irresistible! I'm already thinking about when I might be able to return to ski this beauty!
Laurel Lakes Road winds its way toward the Bloody Couloir. It's hard to keep nerves at bay on a six mile approach to such an awesome line, but the beauty of this place kept me going!
Elderberry Canyon stretches out into the desert. I was ready to drop but we still had another hour of hiking before the summit!
Jason peers down into Elderberry Canyon, Mt Tom's summit still impossibly distant.
Jason and I pose for a "before" photo below Mt Tom. It might be hard to believe but after nearly 14 hours and 9,000 ft of hiking our smiles were still just as big!
Deep in Sequoia National Park spring is slow to arrive at 9,000 ft. The Pear Lake Ski Hut starts the long process of melting out after a big winter below moody skies.
Clouds encroach on the descent of Silliman Canyon.
A striking Couloir runs down Mt Sillimans's southwest spur!
From this perspective you would have no idea that Moro Rock is one of the most accessible granite domes in the Sierra Nevada, nor would you guess that the forest behind is home to the world's largest trees!
Rafee takes in a view of the Kaweahs from the top of a summit he didn't think he'd make.
Was hoping to ski down this grass slope below Homer's Nose but we ran out of daylight on the hike out.
Stumbled into Rivendell last week (as well some poison oak and more than a few thickets)!
White tipped Sky Lupine mimics snow capped peaks beyond!
A flat tire marooned me in flatland for a day but I still managed to find some good hiking!
CTM 13 RP It's always fun to ski a steep slope with new snow, but it's also important to set and honor firm restrictions regarding snow safety. I didn't see any signs of instability on my hike but decided to do a column test since it was a solo day. It would have been easy to ignore or rationalize this result but I hiked back up the mountain, found some great skiing on a lower risk slope, and made it safely to the car.
Sunrise and moonset at Lundy Canyon.
The first light of spring reflects off Mono Lake.
Candide would ski it! We found a different route down but still spent a lot of time picking through the rocks! Very stoked to find redemption on Mt Rose last week!
Zach climbs a skin track some lunatic set above Emerald Bay.
A side of Heavenly Mountain Resort you don't normally see!
A moody day on Freel Peak, barely visible from Armstrong Pass. Grateful to finally catch up with Zach for an awesome weekend in the mountains!
Mt Rose is not an impressive peak except in size - the 10,785 ft peak is visible from every major summit in the Tahoe Basin and I've spied it from south of Bridgeport! Tamarack Peak's Hourglass Bowl in the foreground.
Hurricane force winds rip the snow off the summit of Mt Tallac earlier this week. I tested my luck on Mt Rose and had one of the most humbling climbing experiences in my life.
Ghost house.
Frosty reflection of Patricia Peak in Hilton Creek Lake.
Luke and Kevin atop the cross. Glad I took some time to scope the line out and find out that there was water ice on the route I was considering!
After years of gawking up at the Cross Couloir from South Lake I finally got to see the view from the heart of Tahoe's most iconic line! An absolutely phenomenal day on skis with Kevin, Ian, Luke, and Taka!
Frozen.
Rob jogs cross country below The Otter.
The Watchtower looms over Upper Piute Meadow, one of the most imposing granite monoliths I've encountered in the sierra!
The remnants of Tower Glacier hide deep in the shade of Tower Peak's cirque.
The ceiling of Yosemite: Banner Peak and Mts Ritter, Lyell and McClure.
Rafee crosses the West Fork Walker near its origin below The Watchtower.
The first winter storm of the year coating Monument and Freel Peaks high above South Lake.
Early autumn colors at Noble Lake.
Mt Clarence King. Mt Cotter. Mt Gardiner. A three pack of some of the most photogenic peaks in the Sierra Nevada! I'm always fascinated to see a peak from a new angle - I climbed Mt Gardiner several years ago but had no idea of the stunning stripes across its base!
Mt Clarence King. Mt Cotter. Mt Gardiner. A three pack of some of the most photogenic peaks in the Sierra Nevada! I'm always fascinated to see a peak from a new angle - I climbed Mt Gardiner several years ago but had no idea of the stunning stripes across its base!
Mt Clarence King. Mt Cotter. Mt Gardiner. A three pack of some of the most photogenic peaks in the Sierra Nevada! I'm always fascinated to see a peak from a new angle - I climbed Mt Gardiner several years ago but had no idea of the stunning stripes across its base!
A High Sierra wonderland all to myself! Please take care of our parks if you happen to visit during the shutdown - our parks are special but fragile places!
Sunset on Castle Rocks. Though visible from most of the lower Kaweah drainage, this stunning formation appears to be seldom visited since no access trail has ever been built or maintained. If anyone is ever up for a steep bushwack through poison oak and rattlesnake territory, let me know!
Sunbeams on the Kaweah River Valley after the storm.
A pack train heading west on the High Sierra Trail. In some places mules are still the most efficient means of travel!
Sunset on Kings Canyon.
Clouds roll in above Mt Francis P Farquhar as we race the thunder and impending storm back down past Sphinx Lakes.
The Palisades from the summit of Mt Brewer.
The Sphinx Crest and Sphinx Lakes. A look back down one of the most mentally fatiguing routes I've ever hiked.
Lower Sphinx Lake. It's hard to think of a better vista to enjoy sunrise after hiking in the dark for four hours!
A party of climbers stymied by the last twenty feet of Unicorn Peak, high above Tuolumne Meadows.
A crisp summer morning at Cathedral Peak.
Sunset from Angora Peak.
Mt Whitney.
Wishing I could have skied down this couloir rather than having to empty a pound of gravel out of my shoes at the bottom... Descending University Pass into Center Basin. Bonus points to anyone who can pick out Mt Williamson!
Afternoon light on the Kearsarge Pinnacles.
Sunrise at Onion Valley.
After 15 miles and 9000 vertical feet of hiking I went for a swim and found a warm granite slab to lay on. If had let my eyes shut I probably would have slept through the night. Alas, I still had ten miles to hike, but those ten minutes at the lake were pure bliss.
First ascent of Staghorn Peak from 1945! Apparently there's a tradition of AJs from Tahoe getting at it!
Alpine Aster atop Taboose Pass, Arrow Peak beyond.
Soaring pinnacles above Wonder Lakes.
Neither the lake nor this Crimson Columbine want to conform to normal colors...
What's your favorite color lake? Bishop Pass has got you covered.
Upper Dusy Basin.
Bishop Pass sunrise.
Mt Goode at Long Lake.
Spring comes late to the high Sierra.
Red and White Mountain showing its stripe above Little McGee Lake.
Barney Lake.
Early morning sunlight working its magic as it filters through smoke below Kettle Ridge. Mason looking on.
Shadows.
Hazy twilight at Upper Twin Lake.
May 2025
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