From Alpine lakes to Volcanoes and Hot Creeks

Ben and Sarah made the incredible decision to elope to one of my favorite places in the world. The Eastern Sierra Nevada range. This stretch of California is well known as the home of Mt Tumanguya (Whitney) the highest peak in the contiguous US. It is also home to the Alabama Hills which have been featured in countless movies. In fact once you vist the place you’ll be amused at just how often you notice it in Films. (I just recently rewatched Gladiator and was cracking up as Maximus traveled from Germany to Spain via California.) But despite this, many fail to realize just how many incredible places there are to see here.

Our day started in the mountain town of Mammoth a mecca of skiing and hiking on its own. From there we made a short drive to a location that was near and dear to their hearts but was a new one for me. Mosquito Flats may be one of the worse sounding trailheads you have ever heard of but stay with me. Sitting at 10,300 feat the trailhead is already starting you off deep in the Eastern Sierra. From it you make a slight ascent to the Little Lakes Valley. This is where the magic is. One alpine granite wrapped lake after another await you here. Ben and Sarah had their entire family, grandparents and all join them on this two mile hike to Heart Lake. How perfect of a name is that for your ceremony location? There was plenty of snow on the mountains around us and a bit of ice on some of the lakes. But it was nothing short of perfect. We could of called it here and had an incredible adventure but the Eastern Sierra has too many incredible spots for us to just stop at one.

Onward to a stunning Volcanic landscape

Leaving the Little Lakes valley behind we head down the mountain to diverse valley below. All along the Eastern Sierra you will find hot springs due to the valley’s volcanic nature. But here near Mammoth CA you can find not just a hot spring, but a whole hot creek. The contrast of the deep blue creek and vibrant green foliage against the dry surrounding desert is gorgeous. Throw in some mountains capped in snow in the background and you have something even more special. We hiked around and enjoyed the sights for a bit before heading up another volcanic wonder. Located beside the shores of Mono Lake lies the Panum Crater. This cinder cone isn’t the biggest or most impressive on it’s own, but it is all about location, location location. With the spires of the Eastern Sierra on one side and the crystal blue Mono Lake on the other this little crater makes for an incredible viewpoint to take it all in. This was my first time photographing a couple on a Volcano and I hope it won’t be my last.