Donner Sunrise

I had been trying to get a sunrise shot of Donner Lake in the snow for over a year. One of my problems I kept facing though was that I couldn’t find a vantage point I liked. Lots of early morning drives up the pass to leave with nothing or something that was just… meh. I saw something from this view a couple months ago and I immediately went to work trying to find it. I looked on a map of where I thought it could be, and later that week, went to see if I was right. It was a short hike to get there, but sure enough, I had found it. My map skills and knowledge of the lay of the land had paid off. Now I just had to wait for the next storm to come, cover the area with snow, and have cloudy conditions that would provide a colorful sunrise.

The day had finally come. The Sierra’s got hit with lots of snow, and the forecast indicated there would be a colorful sunrise. I set my alarm for 4:15am, made my coffee, and started driving up the mountain under the night sky. Trying to figure out where to park in the dark with all the recent snowpack was a little tricky. When I finally parked, I was a little worried I wasn't far enough off the road. Hoping my car would be ok, I got out, put my headlamp on, grabbed all my gear and started my hike in the dark and deep snow. 

As I came over the ridge, the sun was just starting to rise, and I could already see a little color in the clouds. I found the spot, quickly setup my camera and tripod and waited for the sun to rise a little more. The clouds turned a little pink, then grey, which scared me a little, then all of a sudden the color came back better than ever. The colorful sky, the tree, the reflection off the lake, the snow, it was a dream shot come true.