"Epic White Cloud Backpacking Loop" revisited (again!), August 19, 2024
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DSCF0951.JPG1 viewsD. O. Lee Peak rising from the saddle. A few years ago I climbed the route leading due S up the ridge. I remember it being very windy, but not as bad as what I just experienced ascending to the saddle.
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DSCF0952.JPG1 viewsHeading down the E side of the saddle, the Sawtooth Mountains can be seen to the W, across the Sawtooth Valley. The smoke remains well to the N.
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DSCF0953.JPG1 viewsGorgeous Cirque Lake is a welcome sight! Still rather windy on the lake. I will skip the fishing here, in favor of getting my camp set up at Cove Lake.
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DSCF0954.JPG1 viewsA few years ago I came upon five mountain goats that descended at high speed from the saddle above, directly to this tarn. I quietly turned my back, swapped the wide angle lens for the telephoto, turned around and they had already vanished. No goats so far, but lots of signs they are out and about. Nice to see there is still some snow remaining here.
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DSCF0956.JPG1 viewsThis inflow E of Cirque Lake usually requires finding a place to cross, perhaps some leaps from boulder to boulder in late August, but not this year. On the other side (NNE) of this peak are Slide, Neck, and Sheep (9875') Lakes. I have never been those lakes...yet! The higher is Slide Lake at 10225', slightly higher than Cirque Lake.
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DSCF0958.JPG1 viewsLooking SSE across the inlet to Cove Lake. It is still breezy. After setting up the food hang and tent, I've decided to fish in the morning. The light suggests picking up the camera, rather than the fly rod.
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DSCF0959.JPG1 viewsNot sure why I bothered with this photo. Backlit peaks don't look good unless there is a spectacular sunset, or interesting clouds. D. O. Lee Peak due W.
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DSCF0960.JPG1 viewsESE across Cove Lake from the inlet on the W side where I've camped once more. The breeze is still blowing.
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DSCF0962.JPG1 viewsSame angle, but with a 24mm focal length. The breeze calmed down a bit while swapping lenses; I was now able to pick up some nice reflections in the water.
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DSCF0963.JPG1 viewsThe saddle between D. O. Lee Peak and WCP-9, backlit, but dramatic high clouds have improved the sky, and their reflections are seen in the inlet stream adding interest in the foreground.
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DSCF0964.JPG1 viewsDue S from the inlet at Cove Lake. There is a veil of high clouds which adds a subtle quality to the hard light, softening the light and saturating the color. The reflections are diffused by the water rippled by the breeze. I'm thinking about where the almost-full moon will rise, setting up the camera before making dinner.
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DSCF0965.JPG1 views9:50 pm when the moon finally rises above the peaks due S from the inlet at Cove Lake. 78 mm, the wide end of the telephoto. The lens has optical stabilization, but I still used one one-hundredth of a second, and was able to utilize a reasonably low ISO of 1600. The Fujifilm XT-2 lacks the low light capability of my Canon 5D II, but it is so much lighter! This has been a long day. I'm looking forward to a good night's rest, and a layover day in the Big Boulder Lakes basin.
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