"The Palisades" - John Muir Wilderness, California

This Fine Art Image of "The Palisades" was captured in the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of California, just to the west of the town of Big Pine.  This section of the Eastern Sierra's is part of the John Muir Wilderness (within the Inyo National Forest), and is adjacent to Kings Canyon National Park. 

In October of 1989, my brother, Patrick, and I decided to explore the Big Pine Lakes area whose trailhead started at the end of the Glacier Lodge Road.  This beautiful series of alpine lakes have been enchantingly named First Lake, Second Lake, Third Lake... and so on up to Seventh Lake!!!  They did name one of them Black Lake, so at least someone had a little creativity.  Anyway, the hike and trail are beautiful (and so are the lakes) and the scenery only gets better the farther up you go.  We did this hike as a day hike, so as the sun began to sink lower in the west we began looking very intently for the best "golden hour" shots.  I scrambled to the top of a nearby ridge and found this stunning view above what I believe is Fifth Lake, with the Palisades section of the Sierra's in the background.  The conditions were ideal with a fresh dusting of snow on the mountains and a very soft, muted reflection in the lake.  After the sun had set we hiked for several hours, by flashlight, back to our car after another incredibly rewarding adventure in the Sierra's.