Forest Path, Autumn
Forest Path, Autumn. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.
A Yosemite Valley trail wind among big trees and dense autumn foliage.
My feelings about Yosemite Valley, the location of this photograph, are… complicated. The place is in my bones. I first visited decades ago when I was just a child — yes, I saw the actual fire fall. I’ve gone scores of times since then, and I have seen the place in all seasons and all kinds of conditions. There’s no question that it is an utterly remarkable, unbelievable even, landscape. On the other hand, the human impact on the place can be troubling. There are regular traffic jams, the increasingly necessary rules and regulations can be jarring, it can be smoky and smoggy. Honestly, I avoid the place as much as possible udring the summer months. And yet…
… it is in my bones. And I keep going back. Autumn may well be my favorite time, and on the right day and in the right places it is possible to escape the things that can impede enjoyment of the Valley’s beauties — perhaps during a quiet moment along a mostly-deserted trail that passes big trees, with the space between them filled by delicate branches of maples and dogwoods transitioning to autumn colors.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
Forest Path, Autumn
Forest Path, Autumn. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.
A Yosemite Valley trail wind among big trees and dense autumn foliage.
My feelings about Yosemite Valley, the location of this photograph, are… complicated. The place is in my bones. I first visited decades ago when I was just a child — yes, I saw the actual fire fall. I’ve gone scores of times since then, and I have seen the place in all seasons and all kinds of conditions. There’s no question that it is an utterly remarkable, unbelievable even, landscape. On the other hand, the human impact on the place can be troubling. There are regular traffic jams, the increasingly necessary rules and regulations can be jarring, it can be smoky and smoggy. Honestly, I avoid the place as much as possible udring the summer months. And yet…
… it is in my bones. And I keep going back. Autumn may well be my favorite time, and on the right day and in the right places it is possible to escape the things that can impede enjoyment of the Valley’s beauties — perhaps during a quiet moment along a mostly-deserted trail that passes big trees, with the space between them filled by delicate branches of maples and dogwoods transitioning to autumn colors.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.