Mount Whitney has solidified a special place in my heart. The quest was really quite an adventure, and was a catalyst for my discovering this world of wilderness landscapes not accessible by car. In fact, while on this mountain I conceived an idea for what could be a stunning photograph. This is a project that occupied the majority of my free time this year, and will be the subject of future writing and hopefully publishing (more on that soon). The project provided impetus behind most of my road trips since January this year, spending long nights doing star trail photography in the desert with several test cameras and tripods. I’ve visited the area several times as a result, and here is a selection of images of the varied face of Mount Whitney.
Here she is in September masked by a thunderstorm
Mount Whitney in March showing off what a high Sierra winter looks like
In June patches of snow were definitely still lingering
A morning twilight view in July shows subtle and beautiful subdued tones
Finally a view from the Alabama Hills, by moonlight and starlight. This exposure, approximately 4 hours on film, captures the first bit of moonlight lighting the top of the eastern Sierras after a few hours of total darkness.
This striking peak has held captive over me this year, and I do not doubt I will revisit her again.
As a bonus I shot video of the crazy wintery conditions on Whitney back in March.
by Kurt