Hiking on the Ozark Trail in Missouri is one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend, and Stegall Mountain is one of my favorite spots on the trail. Stegall Mountain is on the Current River section of the OT in Shannon County, MO. This area is very rugged by Missouri standards, with lots of rolling hills, bluffs, spring rivers and cool valleys. I have hiked many, but not all, of the portions of the OT and this spot is a classic. The "summit" consists of a big granite glade with wildflowers, lizards, and abundant pine trees. The view is very pretty looking off towards the undulating hills of Peck Ranch. I have wanted to photograph the stars from this hilltop for quite some time. I took advantage of the new moon and clear skies this week to make my photograph. It was a pleasant night of stargazing, listening to coyotes call, and occasionally changing my camera battery for the 3-hour series of exposures. I watched the sun set and then started making my five-minute exposures as soon as I could just barely see the first stars start to appear. Canon EOS 1DsMK2, 16-35 lens, f/5.6, ISO 400, 35 five-minute exposures stacked in photoshop.
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