*PANORAMA: Click image below for the 2735x768 pan image

Photo by Dave Norton ©2005. Dave writes: Here's Steelhead Lake, highest of the large lakes in 20 Lakes Basin above Lee Vining. In the foreground is the loop trail that makes a fine 8 mile stroll through the Basin. Out of sight at the head end of the lake is the Hess Mine, nestled against the Sierra crest. Over the crest are the three McCabe Lakes, beautiful gems, lightly travelled. North Peak dominates the skyline.

*PANORAMA: Click image below for the 2752x1008 pan image

Matterhorn Canyon, Virginia Canyon, Shepherd Crest, Yosemite 1972. Stiched from 3 individual photos* (thumbnails above). This vista can be found just past the uppermost reaches of Cold Canyon, before descent into the foot of Matterhorn Canyon (left) and Virginia Canyon (middle), 2-3 days north out of Tuolumne Meadows. Shepherd Crest can be seen at the distant right in this photo. Photos by Alex Forbes, landscape orientation, handheld. Rollei B35 compact 35mm camera slide scans by Nikon CoolScan III. Panoramic image produced with version 2.61 software from The Panorama Factory, by Smoky City Design. Full size image is 2752x1008 posted size, 805KB download. Copyright, All rights reserved.

PANORAMA: Click image below for the 4444x723 pan image

Shepherd Crest, Yosemite 2002. This is the view from from the crest east of the saddle between Upper McCabe and Roosevelt Lakes, in northeastern Yosemite, just over the Sierra Crest from Twenty Lakes Basin. Elevation is 11,400 feet. On the right is the Sierra crest, with the pass from Twenty Lakes Basin just out of sight. No trails through this area, and the permanent glacier on the northern slope makes the trip to or from McCabe very iffy, without crampons and ice gear. Beyond McCabe rises the craggy Shepherd Crest, and in the distance to the left and west the Pacific Crest Trail winds through the valley headed north. Sheep Peak (11,800) rises in the center. Photos by Dave Norton. Stitched from (10) 1200x1600 images, handheld, portrait orientation, Nikon Coolpix 950 digital camera. Panoramic image produced with version 2.4 software from The Panorama Factory, by Smoky City Design. Full size image is reduced here 50% to 4444x723 posted size, 2194KB download. Copyright, All rights reserved.

PANORAMA: Click image below for the 2954x1008 pan image

Miller Lake, Yosemite, August 1979. Miller Lake reposes at thePacific Crest Trail leg joining Cold and Matterhorn Canyons, at 9443 feet. It can also be reached descending down Virginia Canyon, which is how we did it in 1979. This hike may be featured in a slide show in the near future. In the fullsize image, you will note part of a troop of scouts resting near lake's edge, near the right in the photo. They came in from Matterhorn Canyon to the north, by pack mule. Photos by Alex Forbes. Stitched from (2) 3875x2500 TIFimages, handheld, portrait orientation. Rollei B35 compact 35mm camera slide scans by Nikon CoolScan IV. Panoramic image produced with version 2.4 software from The Panorama Factory, by Smoky City Design. Full size image is reduced here 50% to 2954x1008 posted size, 853KB download. Copyright, All rights reserved.

Portrait: Click image below for 136K 900Wx1347H image

Sunset and Storm Clouds Over Sawtooth Ridge, Yosemite, 1972

This photo was taken from Snow Lake after a rainstorm. It really needs to be expanded to full size to show the scale and coloration actually captured. Sawtooth Ridge is north and west of Matterhorn Peak; Snow Lake is a climb of several miles west of there. SawtoothRidge is a highly recognizable landmark, and can easily be identified from jetliner overflights.

Photo by Alex Forbes, portrait orientation, handheld. Rollei B35 compact 35mm camera slide scan by Nikon CoolScan III. Full size image is 900x1347 posted size, 136KB download. Copyright 2002, All rights reserved.

You'll find references to the Outdoors everywhere in our site, even in some of our political and social Commentary, and, especially, in our Bear Stories. Here are a few articles which make effective use of the relationships between us and nature.

	Sunrise at Loma Prieta
	Thompson's Meadow
	Dearest Mum
	Frog Lake
	C.Bear and The Cactipus
	Bear At Glen Aulin

Here are favorite poems which also draw on the relationships between us and nature.

	Pond
	Season's Greetings
	Wild Plum

This space is reserved for the work of talented authors whose approach to the Outdoors we are proud to host. Any work in this section is the property of, and copyright by, the respective authors.

	Ranger Rick: In which the noble Park Ranger, protector of the realm and lord of all he surveys, instills the wisdom of the high country into flatlanders who dared venture into Ranger Rick's domain with a mere 40 years experience in the Outdoors ... Story by Dave Norton, artwork by Trouthunter.
	Raging Rivers: The Final Plunge by Trouthunter. A knowledgeable first-hand article about hiking and fishing the Middle and South forks of the Tuolumne River. Illustrated with annotated photographs and maps.
	Half Dome, June 2000 - "Fool's Quest", a true story by Dave Norton. This puts a different face on the obligatory Half Dome climb.
	Bears At Glen Aulin - A True Story by Dave Norton Whether you've contact with Yosemite bears or not, this is a great story and a MUST read!
	A Backpacker's Journal by Dave Norton If you love backpacking, fishing and the Outdoors, you will find a kindred soul in the observations, reflections and illustrations of Dave Norton's journal. Particularly watch how Dave sees things. An awareness and appreciation of our surroundings is one of the greatest acquired joys of the Outdoors ... we are grateful to Dave and Ellie for letting SummitLake.com host his work. Rewarding reading again and again.
	Yosemite Falls by Dave Norton "Written in 1990 sitting in the cool mist at the base of Upper Yosemite Fall 1990". Here once again, Dave Norton has captured the essence of experiencing the outdoors universe. In this poem we experience the thunder of the falls in a short and masterful orchestration of its origins and destiny.
	Roosevelt Lake 1989 by Dave Norton Here we find another short piece by Dave Norton which brings the reality of the wilderness experience to the door of our tent.
	Upper Florence Lake by Dave Norton Once again, we find in outdoorsman Dave Norton a talent for describing the out of doors from the vantage point of the person  hiking there. Accompanying Dave's narrative is a photo illustration, and also a grandly spectacular full size 800x600 pixel companion photo image, suitable for download and desktop picture. Of the photo, Dave wrote: I find this shot to be particularly restful.  I look into it and can just feel the tension drift away.  It's Upper Florence Lake in Yosemite, during our Half Dome trip.  It's nearly inaccessible.  It took us all day to hike less than 3 miles from our previous camp to get there.  We were hoping for some good fishing, but got there just a bit too early in the season.