In August 2006 I did a 5-day backpack over the eastern Sierra's Taboose Pass, chronicling the trip through the lens of a Panasonic FZ30 ultrazoom digicam (gallery at http://trailhiker.smugmug.com/gallery/1797901_MkFTy ). 2 years later, I'm now in the "digital single-lens reflex" (DSLR) world and for this 3-day ramble up Pine Creek Canyon I take a Pentax K10D with 2 lenses --- a Pentax 16-45 wide-angle with circular polarizer for landscapes, and a Tamron 70-300 macro for closer shots. I'd done the hike up to my tent site, Honeymoon Lake, about 5 years ago but didn't have a good camera with me. Despite the weight, the Pentax DSLR and 2 lenses should be perfect for the lakes and mountains I'd see...
So much to explore, and there isn't enough time in the day to do more than skim the surface of what the High Sierra has to offer. I can just take photos, and vow to return...
Here's one of the many snowfields still on the trail. The going was a little slippery in the morning; now you just go ankle-deep, if not find you're walking on top of a creek...I've had these REI adjustable treking poles for over 10 years, and they've saved my knees from a lot of stress and wear, particularly when going downhill.
From a tarn looking north, beyond which is Morgan Pass and Little Lakes Valley...
The clouds really add dimension and drama to the landscape. The circular polarizer on the Pentax K10D and 16-45 wide-angle lens helps to emphasize the clouds, deepen the blue sky and cut-down on the snowfield's glare.
Here's an afternoon-light scene of a location I'd taken earlier in the day when the sun was only on Merriam Peak, the background mountain. The light is harsher, but the circular polarizer lessens the glare and the clouds' white highlights.
Here's the view in the same tarn-filled meadow looking east, with the sun now at my back and the landscape bathed in Sierra Light...
I'm now back at the 3-branched inlet stream just about Upper Pine Lake. The mosquitos are biting, but it's worse when I stop walking, so as it's too early to hang out at the campsite (where I'll be attacked by the little buggers) I take a stroll down trail from Honeymoon Lake to see the landscape in afternoon light.
Here's a better view and angle of the 3-branched inlet stream, taken while balancing on one of the stepping-stones that cross it...
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