Autumn and Winter Collide

Our recent little spell of colder weather inspired me to seek some snowy mountain scenery, and I found it along the Pacific Crest Trail north of Snoqualmie Pass. A common day hike destination here is the Kendall Katwalk, a round trip of roughly twelve miles. I didn't make it that far; I decided to turn around at an icy stream crossing and use the extra time to hike back at a leisurely pace and stop for more pictures, something I don't always do on return trips.

First, an autumn-and-winter juxtaposition from the initial wooded section of the hike. F/18.

Next, another image on the same theme with a more distant view thrown in for good measure. I tried this composition twice, once early in the morning on my hike in, and once near midday on the way back. Interestingly, I prefer the midday attempt (what you see below). The morning light was warmer and more colorful, but the contrast between the shaded foreground and the brightly sunlit mountains in the background was troublesome. On the other hand, the midday sunlight was filtered by some high clouds, making the contrast more manageable. F/18.

Next, a view of Red Mountain (I think) over the Commonwealth Creek valley. In contrast to some of the other images in this post, the sky looks pretty good here. F/14.

I took a bit of a risk with the contrast in the next image. The sky isn't great - it's brighter than I'd prefer, and not saturated enough (though some additional work in Lightroom might help). But, frankly, I'm pleased that this one worked at all. F/16.

Below, an image with a concept similar to that of the last, but with a bit more sky color. F/14.

Finally, a small waterfall along the trail, with snow-dusted autumn leaves to add some color. F/16, 1/5 of a second.

While it was a treat to see some fresh snow, I'm hoping for some more true fall scenery before winter kicks in. Stay tuned!

Autumn solitude

While everyone else has been knocking themselves out to see the larches, I enjoyed two opportunities to experience autumn in the Cascades in relative solitude over the past two weeks. I love larches as much as the next person, but have been nervous about visiting any of the prime spots within reach of the Seattle area (e.g., the Ingalls Way trail) due to reports of crowding, even on weekdays. I may still get out on a "larch march" at some point this season, as it's something I've looked forward to and enjoyed for the past couple years, but I was happy to avoid the crowds. And while I didn't find anything as superlative as the larch landscapes, the vine maples, bigleaf maples, and huckleberry plants of the west side have been putting on their own fireworks show.

Hope and Mig Lakes

The hike to Hope and Mig Lakes is one of my favorites to visit in the fall - plenty of fall colors, a few old-growth trees here and there, and not too long or strenuous despite a steep climb at the start. The weather was clear at times, creating lighting challenges, but also allowing me to see the landscape in ways that I hadn't in the past.

First, Hope Lake. With the clear skies, I liked being able to clearly see the hills behind the lake. F/16.

Next, two views of Mig Lake. By this time, clouds had rolled in; they were bright enough that I had to avoid including the sky in my compositions. The results turned out better than I had expected. F/14 and F/16.

Here's a different perspective of Mig Lake, with huckleberry plants in the foreground. F/6.3.

Lastly, two compositions from the Tunnel Creek Trail portion of the hike. The trail is rather steep and rooty in places, but the scenery makes up for it. The steep valley walls and tall trees helped screen out some of the sunshine and make the lighting more manageable. F/18 and F/14.

 

Perry Creek

More recently, I hiked the Perry Creek trail off the Mountain Loop highway, and on a Friday, had it almost entirely to myself. (How often do you get to say that about any place along the Mountain Loop?) The fall color was a bit patchy, as it often seems to be on the west side. Still, there was more than enough, courtesy of the valley's many maple trees, to make the trip worthwhile.

First, looking across the Perry Creek valley, with bigleaf maple on the left and red alder on the right. I spent a decent amount of time at this vantage point; I took some shots earlier on with more mist visible in the valley, but I like this one better, taken after I'd had time to refine the composition. F/16.

Next, another view across the valley, this time with a vine maple in the foreground. F/16.

Below, Perry Creek from my turnaround point. I like this image, although it would be better if the creek occupied a more significant portion of the composition. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Here's one that very closely resembles an image I took along this trail in June (fourth and final image in this post). I'm glad I revisited the composition, because the fall colors break up the green and add some depth. F/16.

Lastly, fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) gone to seed. Due to the narrower depth of field, getting the focus point exactly where I wanted it to be was tricky, but this result is decent enough. If I had been closer to the plant in focus, this would have been an easier task, but I like how the background fireweed and other shrubs are arranged. F/5.6.

That's all for now. Hopefully, I'll be back soon with more autumn scenery!

Tolmie Lookout

Last weekend, I hiked to the Tolmie Peak fire lookout in Mount Rainier National Park. The closure of Highway 410 near Greenwater made the Mowich Lake trailhead one of the more accessible areas of the park coming from the north or west. Others must have come to the same realization, because this was one of the more crowded hikes I've been on in a long time. Because I almost always use a tripod, crowded trails make photography difficult, even more so this year, when physical distancing is a must. There were still a few quiet moments, though, and enough room at the lookout to spread out comfortably.

First, my favorite two images from the hike, featuring Mowich Lake early in the morning. Although I like the hint of sunlight in the second, the mist and fall colors show up better in the first. Both F/14.

 

Next, Mount Rainier from the vicinity of the lookout, partially covered by a lenticular cloud. I'm not thrilled by the lighting and contrast, but there was no way for me to avoid being there at midday. I was worried about overexposure, but I actually overcompensated and underexposed this one; next time I'm in a similar situation, I'll try a wider range of exposures. F/16.

Next, two images showing Mount St. Helens far in the distance. It shows up more clearly in the first, making it my favorite of the two. F/16.

Finally, another view from near the lookout. If you can tear your eyes away from Mount Rainier long enough, there is plenty of grand scenery like this. F/16.