Yellowstone Lake from Connecting Ridge

This panorama is a composite of shots taken while climbing the ridge-crest toward Hoyt Peak's summit. In the distance (you're looking west) you see Yellowstone Lake. On the left is the summit of Hoyt Peak, and on the right, behind Bob's shoulder, is a ridge leading to the summit of Avalanche Peak. If you look closely (in this picture, just to the left of Bob's map) you can just make out part of the trail which is the "standard" route to the summit of Avalanche. Top Notch and Grizzly Peaks are also visible (fairly close and to the right of the Hoyt Peak summit). Mounts Doane and Langford are visible in the far distance between Hoyt Peak and Top Notch Peak. Besides the view, a couple of things are interesting in this picture. First, you'll notice an extremely bright area, (almost a vertical stripe) just to the right of center. This is a natural occurrence and shows I was directly between the bright area and the sun. Second, looking across the picture you see the sky displays differing shades of blue varying from deep blue to almost washed out. This is natural polarization caused by the refraction of light in molecules of water present in the air. By comparing the color of the sky side to side, you know this panorama covers about 180 degrees of horizon. © Mike Hoyt, 9jul07.