“Alpine Wonderland” Three Sisters Wilderness Area

Mountain spring nourishes wildflowers with a backdrop of Oregon’s Three Sisters Mountains 

High in Oregon’s Three Sisters Wilderness Area is an area right at tree-line where mountain springs decorate summer wildflower meadows. It is my personal Shangri-La. I love the feeling of tree-line elevations where everything likes like a park. Winter snow cover is heavy so spring arrives in summer and summer is short-lived, so flora is sparse. This subalpine environment is my favorite elevation for exploring as water sources aren’t crowded with plant life because they are usually frozen. There’s a few weeks every year when these alpine riparian zones are filled with life and color. During a recent backpacking trip I had the wonderful fortune to enjoy the burbling springs, epic views of Oregon’s Three Sisters Mountains, while wildflowers flourished at the peak of their bloom season.

It is these springs, fed by snowmelt, which invigorate the magical landscape that they call home. Without winter snows, there is no water and, of course, without water, there is no life. These little springs are truly the lifeline of this elegant mountain environment.

I love so much about this new Oregon fine art landscape photograph. First of all, the Three Sisters Wilderness Area is the background of my hometown, Bend, Oregon. The Three Sisters Mountains are all 10,000 foot tall stratovolcanoes, which were formed approximately 1.6 million years ago. They create a magical backdrop for much of Central Oregon and even portions of Western Oregon.  The magical little spring which lends a wonderful leading line towards the Three Sisters and serves as a focal point in this delicate, texture filled fine art print. I enjoy the hues of blue reflected in the tumbling stream as it converges with another mountain spring, surges in strength and accelerates downhill towards the city of Sisters,Oregon.  Because the mountain spring is crystal clear, colorful volcanic rocks are abstracted by the flowing water. The ephemeral yet beautiful red Indian Paintbrush and yellow monkey flowers form a delicate and texturally wonderful riparian border along  the growing stream. Finally, the trees. I love subalpine trees in part because they grow in the wonderful environments I love to explore. I also love them because they are…. clean. They tend to be well formed and stunted in growth, almost bonsai versions of their lower elevation relatives.  I’m truly excited about this new Oregon Landscape photograph which I think does an excellent job of capturing the feel of Oregon’s magical alpine environments!