This pic was shot in the lower 48. I bet nobody can come even close to where it was taken. We'll see who can get the closest.

I've been east, west, north, and south. Good luck!

Edited by mn-backpacker on 02/25/2009 18:56:32 MST.

Oregon coast?

minnesota somewhere's along lake superior?

Wink, Texas?

Is that mt. josephine and hat point taken from off hwy 61 near the border?

My vote is towards the north end of the SHT in late June, early July. It definitely looks like the trees typical of the SHT, all budded out, but not the dry look that they get towards the end of the summer which is why I guess early summer. I say the north end because the view is not familiar and I have hiked the south half. The view would be looking to the SW.

My second guess would be Isle Royale, but I don't think it has the elevation that this picture looks to be...

Great pic either way!!

Stuart!? You weren't suppose to guess it so quick. I mean... you NAILED it - seriously! I didn't think it was an easy spot to get - especially being way up right by the Canadian border. Guess I was wrong.

Took the pick after wrapping up an SHT backpacking weekend.

I think it's a place that'd doesn't make you instantly think "Northern MN" when you see it, unless you've seen it.

Jeremy - it was taken June 1st.

Okay, if you guys got that one so quick, this should be easy:

Edited by mn-backpacker on 02/25/2009 21:14:09 MST.

i think i deserve some kudos too for being someone from california who was only in minnesota once for grandma's marathon and still figured out it looked like somewhere there along lake sup.

i was even going to say somewhere up towards grand marais!

i just remembered seeing evergreens all the way to the water, so i figured:

1. can't be ocean
2. has to be pretty far north in lower 48 due to foliage
3. has to be a really, really big lake
4. area where marathon started along northshore road out of duluth looked a bit like that

hence, i guessed that way :)

For sure, great job... I was just stunned at how specific Stuart nailed it.

Edited by mn-backpacker on 02/25/2009 21:30:41 MST.

Hmm...the only place with mountains like that, that is that barren and with smog, would be So. Cal. But for having lived there 23 years, I can't place the exact location. It could be Anza Borrego Desert, Somewhere out past Palm Springs, or even Death Valley. But none of them fit quite perfectly.

My best hunch: somewhere in the San Jacinto foothills looking NE?

My only other guesses, based on the large dry lakebed, would be somewhere near Las Vegas, the Owen's Valley, or even Reno/Carson City.
Was I only supposed to pick one location? =)

Edited by jcarter1 on 02/26/2009 00:11:10 MST.

Dan,

View from Joshua Tree National Park near Keys View. It is a southwesterly view, and does not show Mt San Jacinto, which would be just to the right edge of the picture. You are looking towards the Santa Rosa Mountains. If it wasn't overcast, you would have been able to see the Salton Sea.

Straight ahead in the background is the Desert Divide area of the PCT, just above Cedar Springs.

Am I close?

Nice work Nick - you nailed it. Joshua Tree.

Anybody want to throw up some pics for guessing? I could post some more, but I'm headed out of town right now for a few days.

Here is photo for people to geuss on:



Dan,

I have never actually seen hat point from that vantage but I have seen it from the other side when I took the Voyager II out to Isle Royale. I figured it was hat point since very few other things on the north shore stick out that far inot the lake. (Plus I doubled checked a topo map before I gave my guess)

Chris-

Looks like the smokies to me. A bald and rounded mountains like that. Correct general area?

Dan-

You started something AWESOME here!

My guess is the great balsam mountains in NC in winter. Is the mountain in the foreground sam knob?

Stuart is pretty much on. It's been a couple of years since I took the picture but IIRC I was on top of Black Balsam Knob. This is in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area in NC. The Art Loeb trails runs right through it. If my history is correct, the area sustained several burns back to back and trees no longer grow on it so you get the above treeline look at 5-6000 ft.

It helps that I have been to the black balsam knob/shining rock wilderness area 4 times over the last year. I love that area and cannot wait to go back there again.

Here is a picture taken from black balsam knob last august:



This picture was taken at sunrise from tennet mt. looking east towards the asheville/hendersonville plateau:




Here is a picture of black balsam knob from tennent mt. at sunrise:



Sorry for the slight diversion from this thread's purpose but I love this area so much I felt I had to share the pictures

OK, this could be difficult!


Clue: Australia.

Cheers