A Shadow Self-Portrait on Shell Mtn.
On the occasion of my 60th Birthday (July 2014)
I earlier post a print of a tree I thought was on top of the peak, but this is the tree and the other was off to the side. This tree sheltered me nicely from the July sun as I spent about 24 hours on the peak.
Backpacking is a joy and the peak a special place for me. For a decade I was in charge of this section of wilderness, consisting primarily of the watershed of the Middle Fork Eel River, with Shell Mountain as the dividing mountain between the Middle Fork Eel River and the North Fork of the Middle Fork Eel River. Rivers in the part of the country tend to head north to the ocean and usually in a controverted way, so it was not until I got on top of Shell Mtn did I finally get a good grasp of the layout of the wilderness. That made it a special place for me.
If I hauled my 8x10 up to the top of this mountain -- now that would be work! (But I might try my 4x5 someday)