Journeys›Photograph

A July Walk Through a Tahoe Meadow

·Nevada County, California·#hiking#summer#tahoe#sierra nevada#meadows
A river with rocks flows through green vegetation and trees, with a dam in the distant background under a blue sky.

It was a perfectly clear and bright day in mid-July, so I went for a walk to see how things were looking after the huge winter. The river was still running surprisingly high and fast, a clear sign of all the snowmelt still coming down from the high country. All the willows and brush along the banks were incredibly green and overgrown.

The path eventually pulled away from the river and the landscape opened up into a huge, sweeping meadow. The change in scenery was immediate. From the middle of the valley, you could see the distant Sierra peaks, with the last bits of snow still clinging to their highest points, even in the warm sun.

Down in the meadow, the water slowed to a gentle stream, winding through the tall grasses. The whole valley felt alive and exceptionally green for this time of year. I ended the walk near a reservoir just up the hill. In contrast to the rushing river, the water here was perfectly still, reflecting the dense pine forest on the far shore under a cloudless sky.

A sparkling river flows through a valley with treed hills and distant mountains under a clear sky.A winding stream flows through a lush green valley with tree-covered hills and distant snowy mountains under a clear blue sky.A lush green meadow with dense shrubs, forested hills, and snow-capped mountains under a clear blue sky.A river flows through an expansive landscape of green brush, evergreen forests, and distant snow-capped mountains under a clear blue sky.A lush green valley with a winding river, dirt road, pine forests, and distant snow-capped mountains under a clear blue sky.A lake reflects a dense forest on a distant hill and scattered evergreen trees on the near shore under a clear blue sky.

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