Sasha - Up until last year I carried a film camera everywhere. Most of the time it was a Nikon FM that was given to me in 1980. Occasionally it was a Leicaflex SL2. I resisted getting a digital because I am picky about resolution, and not many digital cameras can match my Leicaflex with slow film. But over time I have been working on reducing my pack weight, and the light weight of the smaller digital cameras finally won out when the resolution became better. I now use an Olympus SP-350 when backpacking. And I end up not even using the highest resolution setting so I can fit more pictures on the 1GB card. On that trip I took over 500 pictures.
We took five days to do this trip, the total mileage was 41. First day was over Cottonwood Pass to a campsite just below Soldier Lake (just below the cutoff for wood fires, the scouts wanted to cook steaks on the fire). Second day was to Crabtree Meadow. Third day was short, to give them time to rest and play before summit day - we just went to the tarn above Guitar Lake, which turned out to be a very nice location. Fourth day was summit day - we started at 5 AM and were on top at 8:30, after dropping packs at the trail junction at 13,400'. We went down to camp at Outpost camp that night. The last day was an easy three miles downhill, to enjoy the monstrous pancake breakfasts at the Whitney Portal store.
I can't get enough of the high sierra, either. Saturday I start on an 8-day 84 mile loop in central Kings Canyon. I will start at the Rancheria trailhead by Wishon Reservoir, drop into Tehipite Valley, and then go up the middle fork of the Kings River to meet the JMT near Grouse Meadow. From there I will go south on the JMT until I meet the Woods Creek trail, and then come out on that trail at Roads End in Kings Canyon. I have space available on the permit if you're interested and in shape.
My father and grandfather are/were avid hobby photographers, and I learned that 5% of photography is framing the subject properly, and all the rest is getting the lighting just right. On the first night I sat at the meadow near our camp looking up at Miter Basin as the clouds cleared and the setting sun broke through on the peaks. I took picture after picture as the light changed. But none turned out that great - the human eye can perceive the depth of light from foreground shadow to brightly lit peaks much better than the camera can pick it up. But it did make for a wonderful evening to watch the changing conditions.
I have a much better picture of Timberline Lake. The one I took on this trip was too early in the morning and I was shooting into the sun.
