White River

Earlier this past week, I visited the White River area (Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, near Lake Wenatchee). Given the predicted heat and sunshine, I thought that the waterfall and river scenery would give me good early-morning and late-evening photography opportunities. I had visited the area as a child, and it was fun to return - I'd had the idea to do so earlier, but the White River Road has been closed for a couple years.

White River Falls Campground

First, the main attraction: White River Falls itself, viewable from the White River Falls Campground (access trails are not developed or maintained, but there are big rocks and well-defined foot paths for exploring). Exposure time 1.6 seconds.

Next, the falls from above. I used a faster shutter speed here, 0.4 seconds. I had initially tried this composition with a longer exposure, but I wanted to depict the water's turbulence, and the greater blur just wasn't doing the trick.

 Here's my favorite shot of the river, from just above the falls. F/22, 2 seconds.

Here are three more views of the White River from the campground vicinity, all long exposures (2.5, 3, and 5 seconds, respectively). I was fortunate in that the air was generally very calm, enabling me to get foliage sharp at these long shutter speeds.

Lastly from the campground, a wildflower: pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea), which does not use photosynthesis. Instead, it relies on mycorrhizal fungi for nutrients. F/6.3.

White River Trail

One morning, I took a dawn walk up the White River Trail, which is probably more often used as the start of a backpacking route than as a day hike. The mosquitoes were unbelievably bad; as I progressed up the valley, they became thick enough to prevent any further photo stops. Nevertheless, the forest and river scenery still made the morning an enjoyable experience.

First, a forest image with western redcedar prominent. F/16.

Next, some views of the White River, first from the trail and the next two from the adjacent bridge that leads to the Indian Creek Trail. 4 seconds, 1/3 second, and 0.4 seconds, respectively. I thought the water was creating an interesting pattern in the final picture.

Blue Mountains 4: Oregon Butte

My final destination in the Blue Mountains was the icing on the cake: the hike to Oregon Butte, which ends at a Forest Service lookout station with a fantastic view of the surrounding landscape. As on my other hikes, I had to contend with sunshine; I had camped at the trailhead and started the hike at dawn to maximize my opportunities for decent light. Here are my best compositions, all from near the summit, with narrow apertures for a wide depth of field. As you see, the lupine displays were impressive.

Blue Mountains 3: Mount Misery and Turkey Creek

Back to my Blue Mountains trip! After I'd finished up at Fields Spring State Park, I headed to the Umatilla National Forest. My first day hike there was the Mount Misery trail, beginning at the Diamond Peak trailhead. I had to contend with quite a bit of sunshine, so lighting and contrast were a struggle in all of my compositions. Nevertheless, I would have been remiss not to do my best to record the beautiful setting!

First, a field of larkspur and lupine to the west of Sheephead Spring. F/22.

Next, two views from a nearby vantage point. The first features paintbrush (Castilleja) in the foreground, the second with what I think might be a mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) in the foreground. Both F/22.

My next hiking destination was the Turkey Creek trail, starting from the Panjab trailhead. The forest is surprisingly lush, particularly as you head farther up the valley, with some older trees to boot. Below is my favorite composition from that hike. F/20.

Another forest shot, again highlighting the lush environment, and the abundant lichen and such. F/22.

Evergreen Mountain Lookout

I'm going to interrupt the posts from my Blue Mountains trip to share some images from a more recent adventure: on Friday night, I took a late afternoon hike to the Evergreen Mountain Lookout, north of Highway 2. It's a steep and narrow trail but the views are impressive, particularly closer to the summit, where the views increasingly consist of wilderness rather than hillsides that have been logged at some point. Here are my three best compositions, all at narrow apertures for a wide depth of field.

Blue Mountains 2: Fields Spring

To begin my Blue Mountains trip, I stopped at Fields Spring State Park, one of my favorite places in the state. I'd never been there before in early summer, and it was fun to see new flowers and changed landscapes. First, what I believe is thin-leaved owl clover (Orthocarpus tenuifolius). The bright back lighting was a challenge, but I think I made it work. F/5.

Second, old man's whiskers (Geum triflorum), with the flower having faded and going to fruit. F/6.3.

Here's a view from Puffer Butte, with buckwheat the most prominent flower. F/20.

Finally, a view of the forest just north of the warming hut, with rose bushes blooming. F/20.

Blue Mountains 1: Odds and Ends

About a week ago, I wrapped up a multi-day camping trip to the Blue Mountains area of southeast Washington! I was able to visit a few destinations I'd had on my radar for years: Oregon Butte, the Mount Misery trail, and the Turkey Creek trail. Furthermore, I paid a visit to Fields Spring State Park, a favorite place that I had yet to visit at this time of year. Doing photography in the Umatilla National Forest can be labor- and time-intensive, due to the time and concentration that the long, unpaved driving routes between locations require. On the other hand, the wildflowers, views, high-elevation trailheads, and lack of crowds create amazing opportunities.

Before I post about my main destinations, I'll post some images from campgrounds and roadside viewpoints. First, a view of the setting moon from near the Wickiup Campground. The moon cycle had been off my radar - until the middle of the night, when I woke up to its flashlight-like glare in my tent! I made numerous moon compositions over the course of about twenty minutes. The ones before the sunlight had begun to hit the trees were not as good; the contrast between trees and moon was too high and the moon ended up overexposed. This one, however, just after sunrise, seems to have worked. F/18.

Next, a view from the road between Anatone and Wickiup Campground, with buckwheat and a few yarrow blooming in the foreground. F/20.

Here's a view of some lupine near the Wickiup Campground. I can't confidently identify it beyond that, as I believe there are a few light-colored lupine varieties that grow in the Blue Mountains, and lupines can also hybridize. F/22.

The view from Ray Ridge near Misery Spring Campground at sunrise. The temperature was 37F when I took this, and there was a strong breeze blowing as well. This camping trip was probably the coldest start to summer I've ever experienced! F/18.

Finally, the sunset from near Wickiup Campground. The top right corner is a bit empty, but I like the way the clouds and trees look. F/22.