ISE Campers - September 2002
Hoover Wilderness

OK, so the twenty pounds of camera equipment was worth it...though it sure didn't seem that way when faced with yet another switchback trail on the way to our base camp at 9500 feet. In the end, it was another Magical Mystical Experience too Ridiculously Perfect from start to finish.

Pertinent Details: Hoover Wilderness is High Sierra backcountry wrapped around the eastern border of Yosemite National Park. Our base camp was at Peeler Lake, a two-day hike in to the very edge of the wilderness. The tall peak appearing prominently in the pictures is Crown Point. Our day hikes ranged around both sides of the mountain, providing new jaw-dropping vistas at every turn.

The thumbnails to the left are arranged top-to-bottom in roughly chronological order. They represent less than 7 percent of the total pictures taken (16 rolls of film X 36 shots/roll), but I think you'll get the idea. I have a whole series of Tree and Rock shots yet to go...it really was a photo playground.

And I wasn't even the edgiest photo nut...Itamar packed in his Kiev 60 medium format camera, a Made-in-Russia rig with the heft and craftsmanship of a T-34 tank. Not exactly a compact package, but his results are no less impressive.

We had a Real Blast, and I hope these pictures convey the complete sense of Awe and Joy we experienced for the entire week. If so, then the effort to capture and present them was well worth it.

Doc Michaels
Miss Virginia
Miss Lynne
Gnaw Dawg
Mark & Karma
Itamar

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Technical Details:

Contax RTS III camera
Zeiss Distagon f4/18mm lens
Yashica ML f2.8/28mm lens
Zeiss Vario-Sonnar f3.4/35-70mm lens
Zeiss Vario-Sonnar f4/80-200mm lens
Fuji Provia 400F color slide film

Kodak Retina Ib camera
Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar f2.8/50mm lens
Retina Close-up Kit w/1:4.5 lens
Ilford Delta 100 b+w print film

Bogen 3001BD tripod
Bogen 3009 mini-ballhead
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