I think that there are a couple of factors that are making this match-up difficult. The first is that I think the lighting on the goal image is is much more diffuse than on the image we are attempting to start with. The goal image appears to have been taken on a partly overcast day, so that the shadows are considerably softened in that image (independent of post processing), whereas the image we have been given to start with has much more contrasty lighting.
I also think there is a difference in the intrinsic color of the evergreen trees in the two images. Their color varies depending on the actual species of evergreen, the soil they are growing in, the time of the year, the weather conditions for the seasons in which the photos were taken, etc. One also has to be careful not to confuse the small plants ("shrubs/weeds") that are along the side of the road in the goal image (and at the bottom of the frame in the starting image) with the actual evergreen trees. The shrubs are very different species and have intrinsically different colors from the evergreens.
Anyway, here's the best I feel like doing without putting more time into this exercise.
However, I feel that there is an important take-home message from this discussion, and that is that the old adage of "getting it right in the first place" (i.e., careful selection of the scene, the weather, the lighting, etc. rather than trying to fix everything that you don't like in post production) is clearly demonstrated. It's clear that this guy will hike and do whatever it takes to get to locations that he feels are good, especially when the weather is not the classic picture-postcard clear day.
That being said, I do intend to look at other photos by this guy. It's clear that he absolutely loves soft, foggy days and starts with these, but I want to see if I can also discern the common thread in his post processing independent of his choice of starting material. Everyone has favorite PP techniques - let's see if we can figure out what his are.
Cheers,
Tom M
