Capitol Reef National Park's starry, starry nights and stunning landscapes

We had the opportunity to spend the night watching the skies on one of the clearest, darkest nights I have seen in years. Capitol Reef National Park is renowned for dark skies, and the Park did not disappoint us. The park is also famous for stunning landscapes of sandstone canyons, cliffs, and domes. 
 

Great Basin bristlecone pines are considered "the world's oldest known living thing"

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Bristlecone pines found in Great Basin National Park and in the White Mountains of California are upwards or 3,000-5,000 years old.  The significant age attained by these trees is due to their unusual ability to adapt to the environment. Bristlecones often live in isolation, where trees of other species cannot survive.  Even after their death, they may even remain standing for thousands of additional years. This particular stand occupies a very narrow elevation band between 9,000-11,000 ft-msl on the slopes of Wheeler Peak, Nevada.

Lake Tahoe basin at night

At elevations above 8,000 ft-msl, hiking near the Lake Tahoe rim offers great stargazing opportunities. These two photographs were taken relatively early in the evening around 10 PM in the vicinity of Tahoe Meadows on the northeast side of Lake Tahoe. A thin cloud cover lingered and obscured some of the stars and bright Milky Way definition that would normally be seen this time of the year.

The morning ritual at Lake Tahoe, Nevada

 

The east shore has to be ranked as one of the best places in North America for paddle boarding. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in the United States and with world-famous water clarity, the glassy water is ideal for paddle boarding. The lake temperature in August is a bit chilly at around 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and will definitely wake you up with a misstep off the board. A great place to start early in the morning is at Sand Harbor State Park, and paddle south to many of the secluded, hidden beaches and rock formations along the protected, undeveloped shoreline.

Summiting 13,065 ft Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park, NV

 

Wheeler Peak is the second highest peak in Nevada at 13,065 ft, and only slightly below Boundary Peak at 13,146 ft. Wheeler Peak is the centerpiece of Great Basin National Park and is known for having extreme weather conditions even in the summer. On our summit, it was in the 70s at the visitor center but at the summit, with the wind chill factored in, it was a chilly 21 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mt. Townsend north and south summits, and Windy Pass, Olympic Mountains

 

Mt. Townsend is one of the most popular high elevation day hikes in the eastern Olympics. Both the north and south summits are at just over 6,200 ft. There are multiple routes to take to the summits; the upper Mt. Townsend trailhead is the most popular, the Dirty Face trailhead is the hardest, and the Silver Lake way trail is the longest. One of my favorite stops in the east Olympics is Windy Pass and the panorama view of the deep Silver Creek Valley, accessible by branch trail about a mile from the Mt. Townsend summit or along the route from Silver Lake.

Cool weather and marine clouds at Olympic National Park's Rialto Beach

Although it was hot and in the upper 80s around the greater Puget Sound area, the coast stayed true to form in the lower 60s today. Marine clouds made it a nice day to explore the coastline with a low tide but made it a challenge for photography. I captured a few good shots of a Giant Green Sea Anemone resting in a tidepool, a starfish clinging to a pool sidewall, and a sea stack near Hole-In-The-Wall. Panorama photos just were not going to happen today.