I am currently leading a field trip throughout the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite National Park, and eastern California. I have never visited this area, so it is a treat to see the new terrain and landmarks. Here are a few photos taken today as we explored the area around Lone Pine, CA, just to the east of Mt. Whitney (14,497').
Taken from the western slope of the Indyo/White Mountains looking at the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The tallest peaks are around 14,000' and the base in this photo is around 4000'.
We came across this Panamint Rattlesnake on the trail and he quickly slithered underneath a bush before we could photograph him. We marked the location for our trip back down the trail. Upon our arrival, I was looking around for him when he let loose an intense, "I-mean-business" rattle. Turns out he had crossed the trail and was scaling this rock face...perfect for photo ops. No chance to place anything near him for scale, but it was not a huge snake...probably a little over 2 feet.
Zoomed in view of him staring down the group.
We also saw several of these Great Basin Collared Lizards. Most were small and bony, but this one was quite healthy looking. It was not concerned with us too much as it continued to sun itself on a rock, so I snapped several photos.
Not counting the tail, this fella was ~5 inches long. The tail was probably another 8 or 10 inches.
1 comment:
Can't wait to show these to Delia tonight!
Post a Comment