Esmeralda Basin, round 2

This weekend, I made a return visit to the Esmeralda Basin trail. I normally wouldn't repeat a hike so soon, but I was taking my girlfriend camping; the Teanaway was an area that I thought she would enjoy, and where we'd be least likely to suffer more of this summer's interminable rain showers. Besides, the wildflowers and views are diverse enough to make a repeat photography effort worthwhile. The sunnier weather conditions were challenging, but I was still able to get some good shots. I think I'm getting better at coping with sunshine, at least in open environments like this.

First, a penstemon of some sort. Judging from the bright pink color and the rocky environment in which I found it, my guess is that it's rock penstemon, also known as cliff beardtongue (Penstemon rupicola). F/4.

Next, some stalwart lupine growing in the harsh, rocky environment of Fortune Creek Pass. This doesn't look great at small dimensions (e.g., on a phone), but I think it would make more sense as a larger print. F/6.3; in hindsight, I wish I had tried an even narrower aperture.

Also from Fortune Creek Pass, a view of what I believe to be Mount Daniel. F/14.

Next, a meadow of shooting star (genus Dodecatheon) just before the pass. F/16.

Here is one of the Esmeralda Peaks framed by big trees. Somehow, the image quality didn't end up all that great, although it would work at a "normal" size (e.g., 8x12). F/14.

Next, a view down the basin, highlighting the area's diverse trees. Despite the harsh backlighting, this one turned out pretty well; I could even re-brighten it a bit further. F/14.

Finally, a wildflower meadow (Scarlet gilia, Ipomopsis aggregata, is the prominent red flower). I'm not entirely satisfied with the sharpness, particularly of the yellow flowers. It's good enough that it'd be worth trying out in print, though. F/16.