Storm clouds building over tundra and tarns below Forester Pass on the John Muir Trail in the morning.

Gathering Weather

Tyndall Creek Basin, Sequoia National Park, California

Morning of the Forester day, and the sky already meant business. My only plan was to be off the pass and descending before noon, so this was shot on the move — 17mm, sky given two-thirds of the frame, because the sky was the story. Three weeks of cloudless postcard blue on this trail, and the one morning the weather showed up, it pointed itself at the highest pass on the route.

Nikon Z 7_2 · 17-35mm f/2.8D · 17mm · f/5 · 1/800 · ISO 80

July 2, 2025

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