Walking into a storm towards Charlotte Lake

A dense forest of pine trees fills the foreground, with rugged granite peaks rising on either side of a deep valley under a cloudy sky.

The light was breaking through the clouds after a morning shower when I made this photograph in the High Sierra, illuminating the vibrant green of the pine forest. The granite peaks on either side of the valley still held patches of snow, and the distant mountains were softened by the atmospheric haze.

Sierra Nevada, California · 2026