High Sierra Topix

Thanks, Mav - I'm either opting for my trusty D810 paired with 20mm 1.8 or bring the new Nikkor Z6 w/the 24-70. I lugged the d810 last year through Glacier National Park with 400mm and tripod. Let's say I don't want to do that one again I'm concentrating on photography this trip and not blasting through the miles so the route may look long but I'll trim out what I need for max photo ops.

maverick wrote: ↑Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:01 pm Wales and Tulainyo over Wright for photography, though the meadow on the way up to Wright Lakes has some great wild flowers and views back towards the Kaweah Ridgeline, at sunrise, with the right light, you could capture something nice.
Wales is pretty, but can be windy, so getting a smooth reflection in it will depend on the conditions.

Could see carrying a 400mm with some teleconverters, if wildlife shots were my priority in Glacier.

When giving photography classes or when clients ask me at my shows, which lens should I take backpacking, my simplified answer is, to look at your body of work and see what lengths you most frequently used.

Like taking my 100-400mm occasionally, it allows me not only to take a shot from a distance, but it also allows me to compress a scene, but it only gets brought along, if my project requires it, otherwise it would be deadweight.

My current choice of backpacking lenses are the 11-24, 24-70, and the 100-400 II.

When and if I buy into the new medium format Fuji GFX 100, my lens choices will be a bit limited, but still workable, and having 100 megapixels will allow me to easily print much larger than 8", and still hold up great when viewed close up.

Being at the most optimal location, which may take scouting for hours or days in a particular location, it may also require me to stay 4-5 days in the same basin, and then being gifted with that special light that doesn't happen often, which is why some of my pieces have taken me going back to the same location for 10 years, to finally capture a shot that represents that particular location, and my vision.

So yes, taking my time is paramount, mother nature works on her own timeframe, I have to adjust to her, not the other way around, otherwise I would be rushing and settling for a lesser shot, not being patient and rushing to move on to the next location, which would turn my photos from an art to a documentary style shoot, which is fine, if that was my goal.

Recently, I ran across this 2014 trip report on blogspot by Andy D. He's probably on this forum too. You might find useful the section of the trip report (Day 5 and 6), going from Milestone Bowl, over Milestone pass, and down into Milestone Basin (opposite of your route) and also the route up to/down from Picket Guard Lake.

http://seatosummitultralight.blogspot.c ... -2014.html

The pictures are stunning and pace is realistic. Hope you have a wonderful trip. It sounds lovely in a grueling sort-of way. Looking forward to your trip report. We are planning several days in the Upper Kern and Milestone Basin as part of our 12-day trip in Sept.

Thanks, neaptide - Andy & I met years ago after deciding to do the first portion of the Sierra High Route. It was a memorable hike, to say the least. On the second day, Andy and I started up the Copper Creek trail at high noon with Grouse Lake as our destination. It was one hot a$$ day but we were determined and made it just a the sun was setting. I actually never met Andy before that hike and my kids still refer to the trip as "You just meet some random stranger on the internet and decide to hike 24/7 in one of the remotest places - Your Crazy!" I've talked with Andy already about this area and he's provided some good feedback. Seeing that this hike will most likely be that last time I'm out with my daughter (She's off to the police academy and will pursue her goal within law enforcement) I really wanted to make sure we see some spectacular places or "Hidden Gems".

He's probably on this forum too.

Yes, he is, under the name "Bluewater".

dbogey wrote: ↑Mon Jun 10, 2019 10:22 am "You just meet some random stranger on the internet and decide to hike 24/7 in one of the remotest places - Your Crazy!"

Where on the internet did you guys meet?

How does the north side of Milestone Pass hold snow? I see there's a permanent snowfield on the eastern side of the cirque, but the actual pass appears to have decent eastern exposure. I'll be going over it the first week of August, and I'm trying to decide if my trekking poles will be sufficient traction, or if I'll need to lug microspikes and/or an ice axe out there this year.

stringbop wrote: ↑Tue Jun 11, 2019 2:14 pm

dbogey wrote: ↑Mon Jun 10, 2019 10:22 am "You just meet some random stranger on the internet and decide to hike 24/7 in one of the remotest places - Your Crazy!"

Where on the internet did you guys meet?

Don't know if it was the HST forum or Backpackinglight.com forum.

Can anybody tell me what to expect for snow on Shepherd Pass for the end of July?

I expect there to be a little more than last year, which was just a tiny amount.

I'll carry an ice axe and wear microspikes if necessary, but I would prefer to leave that behind.

Just checking the Sattelite imagery as of today 7/20/2019 and Milestone Basin seems to still be holding some snow. My daughter and are planning on crossing Milestone Pass and travel down the Colby Trail. We still have 2 weeks until our departure so I'm sure the snow levels will change.
The attachment comes from here and the imagery is as recent as today. https://bit.ly/2YF4dje