I suppose the time has arrived for my once-per-few-years post here instead of the usual lurking.
A while ago, fellow forum member Kurt Lawson pointed out that the 7000-ft-tall Sandy Peak has an excellent view of Eureka Dunes in Death Valley. I wasn't especially enthusiastic about the idea for a few years, but at some point I realized that
1) Sandy Peak lines up Mt. Whitney directly behind the dunes. It's 100 miles away, but on a clear day it should be visible; and
2) Sandy Peak lines up the milky way behind the dunes when the season is right.
So I ended up doing two trips separated by six months. There's no trail or water to Sandy Peak, and so it's a rather unpleasant 6-mile, 3000-ft-gain hike through the sagebrush. Following a winter snowstorm in December, I did the hike a first time. I did it again in June when the Milky Way and moon were optimally positioned. Both times I carried up a variety of lenses, including a Sigma 150-600 for tele shots of the dunes, and I bivvied overnight on the summit.
In December, it was tough to find a non-snowy spot, I ended up on the frozen ground every two hours during the night because my sleeping pad leaked, my thermometer showed 17 F, and I ran out of water on the hike back because it froze. Below are a few of my photos:
In June, the temperature was opposite extreme: 93 F. I carried a star tracker and a 50mm 1.4 in order to do a tight shot of the milky way aligned over the dunes and Mt. Whitney. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm blew in during the night and obscured the clouds. Below is one of the last shots I got before the stars disappeared. This is from a 24mm timelapse.
That shot with the Milky Way - WOW. It’s done with the perfect amount of subtlety, and I think the clouds actually add to it. I just got an iOptron SkyGuider Pro, hoping to get some shots like this!
Around 10 years ago I used these links to get up there by car (I had hired a guide). It was lovely, and I thank the poster "kwalsh" for sharing the location freely.
Around 10 years ago I used these links to get up there by car (I had hired a guide). It was lovely, and I thank the poster "kwalsh" for sharing the location freely.
That's the hill above the Rebecca Mine, which is also cool. I went up there in January. Sandy Peak is a few miles to the southeast. It's at 37.1514044, -117.618453, and I started walking around 37.211609, -117.645839.
A spectacular set of images, Sean! I love the partially obscured milky way shot! Just the right amount of color, stars, last light of the sun and the curvature of the dunes! Wow!
Voted!
Great set! The second image is my favorite of them. It’s awesome to hear the story behind the images too, what a great effort put into obtaining the images! Thank you for sharing!
