Dave and BP's photos inspired me to post this one, from the summit of Mount Wilson near Telluride a couple weeks ago in mid-June. This was probably the hardest 14er I've done, with a serious exposed scrambling section at the summit. My friend and I started hiking from Navajo Lake at 4:30am and got to the top at about 9:30 or so.
Wilson Peak is on the left, and the symmetrical pyramid of Gladstone Peak on the right. The Sneffels Range is off in the distance, and you can actually see Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre way far off on the horizon at top right.
Going down was quite an adventure... glissading down 2,000 feet of snow on our asses... let me tell you that is WAY crazier than snowboarding down!!!
I lugged my 4x5 all the way up here, and believe it or not this was the only shot I took the entire trip! Navajo Lake is surprisingly unphotogenic I thought... just surrounded by pure rockpiles with no good peak views.
This was with the wideangle 75mm + warming polarizer, on provia.
Posted by Scott Borger on July 4, 2007 at 12:03 AM
Jack, that is a stunning shot! And the fact that you took it with the 4x5 makes it that much better. Glissading is quite intense, you can get going really, really fast!
Jack, this is an outstanding photo and wonderful control of light in those conditions. Did you blend a couple of photographs to handle that lighting? I'd be impressed if you could get that range of shadow and highlight detail at altitude in near midday sun.
Jack - Another outstanding shot! This is probably as close to the top of a fourteener (other than Pikes or Evans that I can drive too) as I will likley ever get. How you lug a 4x5 along with evrything else it takes to summit is amazing to me. As much as I would love to try it I think I will just look over your shoulders so to speak. Thanks for the post!
John
Beautiful shot, Jack! Great clarity! I'm sure this is a single exposure - all the more kudos.
Two of my favorite peaks!
I'm still fiddling with the best way to lug my 4x5 around with all the rest of the gear needed for multi-night backpacking trips. It's a bit heavier than I remembered when I bought it . I'm impressed that you scramble around with yours on your back!
Thanks for your comments! Yes this is one exposure - the dynamic range was actually not too bad since everything was so bright. But, I did have to brighten up around the edges, since the light falloff on the 75mm lens is pretty drastic. Also the polarizer really darkened the top left sky, so I tried to brighten that up a bit too. I bracketted my exposure, taking 3 shots to make sure I got it, and I'm glad I did because this was the longest exposure of the 3.
Kalin - I've been lugging my snowboard around all spring, so taking the 4x5 instead is not so bad! I have all my camera gear organized inside of a LowePro Omni Pro case, which I just put into my normal backpacking pack.
Spectacular shot, Jack! The midday light doesn't bother this one at all. There still seems to be a warm glow on some of the rocks and the shadows aren't blocked up. Love the way the spine zig-zags through the lower part of the frame, accentuated by the peaks - great comp!
You angling for another cover, Jack? This is killer! Amazing how it's a tale of two worlds, looking so summer-like down low while there's still all that snow up high. I also love Gladstone, one of the coolest mountains around.
And to make you feel a little better, I once had a friend who did the entire Elk Creek-Vallecito-Johnson Creek-Columbine Pass-Chicago Basin-Needle Creek loop with all his Pentax 6x7 gear, and the first time he pulled out the camera was when some girl asked him to take her picture while waiting for the train at Needleton to take him back to Durango. When I asked him why, he just said he wasn't feeling it. Say what???
Jack, I just saw this. WOW! I lie awake at night dreaming of taking a shot like this. Beautiful!!! I have one similar to this planned here in RMNP and this shot just may give me enough of a kick in the pants to go out and get it. Well worth the effort!
Fantastic shot Jack! Great comp. My eye just follows that ridge line all the way back. I love the snow in this too. And what a view! Makes me want to get up on some high peaks again. Thanks for sharing.
I'll add another pat on the back Jack! Outstanding!
I'm with John, you'll have no competition from me if it involves seriously exposed scrambles - especially at the summit.
Posted by Doug Andrews on July 5, 2007 at 12:29 PM
Thanks for posting shots like these Jack. I'll never haul my fat butt up to these peaks, so I appreciate you doing so and sharing the views with us.
Thanks for sharing another epic adventure and image - 1 picture and a 2K foot descent with a LF rig?! Damn! By the way, I love the serpentine ridge line leading to distant peaks.
Discussion
20 repliesWilson Peak is on the left, and the symmetrical pyramid of Gladstone Peak on the right. The Sneffels Range is off in the distance, and you can actually see Wetterhorn and Uncompahgre way far off on the horizon at top right.
Going down was quite an adventure... glissading down 2,000 feet of snow on our asses... let me tell you that is WAY crazier than snowboarding down!!!
I lugged my 4x5 all the way up here, and believe it or not this was the only shot I took the entire trip! Navajo Lake is surprisingly unphotogenic I thought... just surrounded by pure rockpiles with no good peak views.
This was with the wideangle 75mm + warming polarizer, on provia.
John
Two of my favorite peaks!
I'm still fiddling with the best way to lug my 4x5 around with all the rest of the gear needed for multi-night backpacking trips. It's a bit heavier than I remembered when I bought it
Thanks for sharing! It's a keeper!
------- speechless ------
very pretty, clear, crisp.
You have no idea how much your photos have inspired me... thanks for showing us another awesome Jack-Brauer-style picture.
BP
Kalin - I've been lugging my snowboard around all spring, so taking the 4x5 instead is not so bad! I have all my camera gear organized inside of a LowePro Omni Pro case, which I just put into my normal backpacking pack.
And to make you feel a little better, I once had a friend who did the entire Elk Creek-Vallecito-Johnson Creek-Columbine Pass-Chicago Basin-Needle Creek loop with all his Pentax 6x7 gear, and the first time he pulled out the camera was when some girl asked him to take her picture while waiting for the train at Needleton to take him back to Durango. When I asked him why, he just said he wasn't feeling it. Say what???
You're an inspiration to get out off my butt and do some real hiking. I always love the 3D feel of your mountain shots.
I'm with John, you'll have no competition from me if it involves seriously exposed scrambles - especially at the summit.
Thanks for sharing another epic adventure and image - 1 picture and a 2K foot descent with a LF rig?! Damn! By the way, I love the serpentine ridge line leading to distant peaks.