Winter Begins

On Tuesday, the first day of winter, I visited one of my favorite off-season hikes: Whistle Lake and Sugarloaf in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands (I accessed these destinations in a single hike from the Whistle Lake trailhead). The trails around Whistle Lake offer plenty of lake views, and the Sugarloaf summit features sweeping vistas in multiple directions. The forests in between aren't so much the highlight of the hike, but there are a few old-growth trees, madrone groves, and other pretty features to keep things interesting.

First, the most unique image of the day: hair ice, spotted on the forest floor. I've seen it before around western Washington, and have taken it for granted, but it's actually pretty special. Apparently, hair ice only grows on dead or rotting wood, because there is a certain kind of fungus (Exidiopsis effusa) whose presence causes the ice to crystallize in this way. Hair ice also only forms at certain latitudes. So, I'm excited that I got a decent picture of it! I knew there was a reason I've kept carrying that macro lens around even after wildflower season. F/6.3.

Next, Whistle Lake. When I hiked past the lake in the morning, the air was quite calm, meaning that some fun reflections were visible on the lake's surface, and I tried to depict that in the next two images. In both of these compositions, I included madrone trees in the background. Their colorful reddish-orange trunks don't stand out as well as I had envisioned, but I still think they add something to the scene. Both F/18.

Lastly, the view from Sugarloaf. I like how the gnarled branches on either side frame the vista. F/14.

That's all for now! Generally, when I've visited Whistle Lake and Sugarloaf, I've done so under overcast skies, or at best filtered sunshine. It would be fun to do some photography there under truly clear skies - even though the higher-contrast lighting would obviously be challenging to work with, distant mountains would be much more clearly visible from Sugarloaf, and the directionality of sunlight would be interesting to experiment with there and at the lake.

First Winter Walk

Over the weekend, to celebrate the long-awaited lowering of snow levels, I went on one of my favorite winter hikes/walks: the closed portion of the Mountain Loop Highway (after Deer Creek) to the Big Four Ice Caves area. You can't get to the ice caves right now, but the marsh trails have excellent views, and there is also a path down to the river. The snow at this relatively low elevation tends to melt and refreeze through the winter, creating the icy walking conditions I've dealt with in the past, but the snow on Sunday was fresh and easily walkable.

First, my favorite image from the day - a view of what I think is Mount Dickerman, with some valley mist floating around. F/16.

Next, Coal Creek from the road. F/14, 0.4 seconds.

Here's a shot of the South Fork Stillaguamish River and a hill beyond, also from the road. The sky on the left-hand side got a little washed-out/overexposed (also affecting the image quality of the tree), but I like the look of the snowy trees on the hill. F/14.

Next, the South Fork Stillaguamish River at the trail's current end. I was hoping the polarizing filter would have an even stronger effect on the water, reducing the surface glare and revealing the rocks underneath even more clearly. That didn't quite happen, but I do like the vivid blue color that was reflected. F/16.

Finally, Hall Peak. I'm not happy with the way the sky turned out; some further tweaking in Lightroom will probably be in order. My polarizing filter affected the sky unevenly, and the colors seem a bit faded or washed out. Interestingly, I had similar sky issues when I took a picture from almost the same exact vantage point last year (second photo). This year, at least, I got a composition that works at a more standard print size (8x12). There's not much you can do with a square shot. F/16.

Return to Middle Fork Snoqualmie

After a long closure due to a large landslide, the Middle Fork Trail, which follows the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, is now fully open again! It's an easily accessible and not-too-difficult trail that has a few good river views, lush forests, and views of interesting cliffs, so I was happy to be back on Saturday.

First, Garfield Mountain (I think) over the confluence of the Taylor and Middle Fork Snoqualmie rivers, near the trailhead. I tried this shot a few times, and the lighting improved after I took the shot below, with some sunlight hitting the mist in an interesting way. Unfortunately, by that time, water dripping from the boulders overhead had gotten on the lens, something I only discovered upon reviewing the images on a computer screen. Good thing I kept the earlier attempts! F/16, 1/6 of a second.

Next, a small stream along the trail. I tried a vertical version of this picture, thinking it might emphasize the large tree at upper left a bit more. It didn't make much of a difference, however, and I think the rocks on either side of the stream help balance the composition. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Finally, a couple forest shots. For the most part, the forest along the trail is second-growth, with a sprinkling of older trees throughout. It's very mossy and lush, however, and there is still some diversity, with alder and maple groves alternating with darker coniferous forests. Below, a bit of remaining fall color under a grove of mossy trees, mostly alder. F/16.

Next, mossy conifer branches frame a view out to an alder grove. F/14.

High Water at Greenwater

Greenwater? More like Brownwater, am I right? On Saturday morning, during a brief window of calm weather, I hiked the Greenwater trail, hoping to catch the last gasp of fall colors. (I'd hoped to visit a few weeks ago to catch the trail's abundant vine maples at their peak, but weather and logistics conspired against it. Perhaps next year.) I didn't find much in the way of fall color left, but it's still a nice hike regardless. The day's unique feature was the Greenwater River itself - waters were high and a muddy brown color due to the preceding days' heavy rains.

First, an image of the river highlighting the aforementioned brown color, with a little patch of the remaining fall color as a bonus. F/14, 2.5 seconds.

Next, a series of images from another vantage point along the Greenwater River. I think I prefer the first, but they all emphasize different features and colors, so I haven't reached a conclusive opinion on which one I like the best. The first two I took at F/18, 2 seconds, and the third at F/16, 1.6 seconds.

Beyond the river scenery, I love the colorful old-growth trees of the Greenwater trail. Forest compositions are tricky in general, because they can be very busy. The Greenwater trail adds the challenge of bing relatively dark, due to shade from the trees and the sometimes steep and narrow valley walls. I'm happy with the one below, however. F/14, 20 seconds. (20 seconds! See what I mean about the darkness?)

Finally, the lower Greenwater Lake with a bit of fall color. This isn't a great composition - the foreground branches make it a bit too busy, but this was the best vantage point I could find that included the yellow leaves in the background. On the other hand, the muddy color of the water comes through very clearly. F/18.

That's all for now! It's back to wind and rain outside, so I'll be staying indoors for a bit. But the long-term forecasts I'm seeing suggest lighter precipitation in the future, with much lower snow levels. Hmm...

Fog at Denny Creek

On Monday, I braved the popular Denny Creek trail near Snoqualmie Pass. I've wanted to go for a long time, inspired by pictures of the creek crossing and Keekwulee Falls, but I imagine that this easily accessible, not-particularly-strenuous hike gets very busy on weekends. A foggy Monday did the trick; hiking traffic was light, giving me plenty of time to set up my tripod for photography, and to linger at waterfall viewpoints without feeling guilty for making other groups wait or move. The fog was fun, too - it added some depth and mystery to my compositions, and made the contrast easy to deal with. I would like to return under less foggy conditions, though, to see the waterfall and surrounding slopes more clearly.

First, the lower part of Keekwulee Falls. I think this composition comes together very nicely, but the sense of scale is a bit lacking; the falls is bigger than it appears here. F/16, 1/3 of a second.

The next image shows the upper part of the falls, through trees and fall color. The trees don't quite follow the rule of thirds, but I think it all comes together - I like the placement of the waterfall, the colors, the overall sense of balance, and the sense of depth and distance. F/16, 1/2 of a second.

I also tried a vertical shot of the falls. I wish the fog had been just a touch thinner when I took this picture, but I'm still glad I have a vertical perspective, and the yellow fall color in the foreground stands out nicely. F/16.

The fall colors were vibrant throughout the trail; below, a particularly noteworthy vine maple. I like the effect of the background fading into the fog. It adds depth, and makes the foreground vine maple stand out. F/16.

Next, another image on the fog-and-fall-colors theme. I like the overall composition, but I'm less pleased with the colors. They're a bit muted due to the fog, and the foreground rocks aren't quite interesting enough to make up for it. F/16.

Lastly, a shot of some vine maple leaves with Denny Creek in the background. The selective focus effect is a bit of a double-edged sword here, I think. I like how it simplifies the composition and highlights the leaves, but I think the lack of background detail makes the creek and rocks seem smaller and less compelling. I tried a composition from this vantage point with a wider depth of field, but the leaves were so close to the lens that I had no way of getting both them and the creek in sharp focus. F/6.3.

Lonely Day at Baker River

On Tuesday, I hiked the Baker River trail in the north Cascades, and it was a surprisingly quiet experience: I saw no wildlife other than eagles, and no fellow hikers until the very end of the day, when I passed one near the trailhead. I can't remember the last time I saw so few people on a hike - probably pre-2020. This time of year, I think a lot of hikers tend to congregate at trails with larches (I've done that, too, in other years), or otherwise superlative fall scenery. I had briefly considered a "larch march" of my own, but I wanted to make sure I visited the Baker River trail this year, and I ended up appreciating the solitude.

First, the view of Mount Shuksan from Sulphide Creek. Because the water level and the configuration of the rocky banks tend to change from season to season, this view isn't always accessible, making this image a bit more special. F/16, 1/6 of a second.

One major highlight of the hike is the old-growth forest throughout. Here are some scenes that feature that old-growth. First, an old cedar framed by red alder trunks. I like the depth here, but the red alder trunks were so near the lens that they appear larger relative to the cedar trunk than they actually were in person, thus diminishing the sense of scale that I wanted to depict. F/18. 

Next, a closer shot of an old cedar trunk, with fall color from big leaf maples in the background. F/18.

One more forest shot. I'm not as thrilled by this one; it lacks the sense of depth that the prior two images have, and I'm also not sure whether I like the vertical perspective effect here. I do like the colors, though. F/14.

The views over the Baker River valley from the trail are also nice. Below, some fall color from a young big leaf maple frames the view. It's similar to the first image in this post from a visit in 2019, and from almost exactly the same spot. This time, however, a bit of the Baker River itself is visible in the distance. F/14.

Finally, two more river-view-and-fall-color shots. In the second one, I like the contrast between the greens and yellows of the nearer trees and the bluish-green of the more distant slopes. F/14 and F/16, respectively.

Vine Maple Extravaganza at Gold Creek

Yesterday, I took a trip to one of my favorite hikes, the Gold Creek trail near Snoqualmie Pass. I wanted to visit this fall because of the vine maples that grow abundantly in the clearings, and I was in luck - they were at about peak color, with lots of deep reds and oranges to gawk at. The trail conditions were a bit interesting - the brush and trail were very wet from the previous day's rain, giving me a good soaking - but the fall colors and warm sunshine were well worth this inconvenience.

First, an image from my turnaround point, which was the big avalanche area a few miles in. My initial plan was to stop at the edge of the avalanche clearing, as I had read trip reports about the trail through it being very overgrown. In the distance, however, I saw a patch of colorful vine maple that looked like it was next to an elevated section of trail. The brush really was as bad as the stories suggested, but the vine maples framed the surrounding views in a very picturesque way, so I'm glad I persisted. This image is looking up the valley; I'm not sure what peak is in the distance. F/16.

Next, an image from the same vantage point, but looking down the valley. F/16.

Below, a view of some fireweed plants (with flowers and seeds both mostly gone). The sun had only just emerged over a mountaintop, so the morning mist was still in the air. This was the only image from the day that didn't involve vine maple in some way. F/16.

Next, a view from the first clearing along the trail, which is one of my favorite spots for photography due to the expansive views of the surrounding terrain, and the abundant wildflowers and fall foliage in their respective seasons. F/16.

Here's an early-morning shot from the same vantage point as the image above. The detail quality suffered a bit here due to the low lighting, but I still like the result. F/18.

Lastly, looking up the valley wall. F.14.

Hope and Mig 2021

Every fall, I try to hike to Hope and Mig Lakes near Stevens Pass. Due to the colorful ground cover around Mig Lake, and the relative lack of hiker traffic, it's one of my favorite hikes this time of year. I visited yesterday under clear skies. This high-contrast lighting was a challenge in the patchy meadow-and-forest environment around the lakes, but it was fun to have one more summer-like day in the mountains. And a quiet one, at that - for most of the time that I spent at Mig Lake, I had it to myself.

First, a classic shot of Mig Lake with reflections and distant hills visible. The foreground plants are a little bit overexposed, but I think the overall picture still looks okay. F/16.

Here's Mig Lake from the opposite shore. I used my widest lens for this shot, to get more of the grassy foreground in view. I also set up the tripod to have the camera quite low to the ground. This added some depth, and enabled me to keep the camera more level. Tilting the lens downward, as I would have had to do here if the camera had been at shoulder height, would have produced more obvious converging vertical lines, which I didn't want. If you look at the trees, you can see the tree trunks converging a bit, as the lens was still tilted downward slightly, but it isn't too bad. F/14.

Next, a more backlit shot from yet another vantage point at Mig Lake. The contrast is higher than I'd usually prefer, but the angle of the light really brings out the reds and yellows of the foreground. F/16.

Finally, here's an autumnal scene from the Tunnel Creek Trail, with vine maple leaves in the foreground. F/16.

That's all for now! The rain is falling in earnest, and I'm sure scenery and conditions will be changing. But October can be lovely, too! Stay tuned.

Lake Valhalla and Mount McCausland

On Thursday, before the rain descended upon us, I hiked to Lake Valhalla near Stevens Pass. It's an easy hike to a gorgeous lake; as such, it tends to be extremely busy on weekends, and I was grateful for the opportunity to visit on a weekday. Skies were clear, affording great views of the surrounding mountains. Because of this, and because of the fall color visible on higher slopes, I made a last-minute decision to hike up Mount McCausland on the way back. I didn't make it quite to the summit, because I was getting close to my turnaround time and wanted to save time for pictures, but the views en route were fantastic.

First, the amazing view from Mount McCausland. Lake Valhalla is in the center, with Lichtenberg Mountain on the left. F/14.

Next, the same view without Lichtenberg Mountain. The mountain adds drama, so that'll probably end up the preferred image, but I like how this composition has less empty space and features the lake more prominently. F/14.

Here's a shot from the sandy beach of Lake Valhalla, with Lichtenberg Mountain again in the distance. I shot this at a fairly wide angle with my tripod low to the ground; this ended up distorting the background trees, but I really like the feeling of depth here. F/14.

Next, one in which I tried putting the lake and mountain out of focus, with a mountain ash (Sorbus sitchensis) in the foreground. I set the focus point for the big cluster of the berries at the top, which I think worked pretty well. F/5.6.

I tried another mountain-ash-and-lake composition, this one with a wide depth of field. It's a bit busy, but I think it still comes together. F/16.

Next, an image from the PCT en route to Lake Valhalla. Most of the hike passes through forest, but there are some nice openings like this one. F/16.

Lastly, something a bit different - fireweed flowers (Chamaenerion angustifolium) with frost crystals, taken early in the morning. I've never photographed a flower with frost on it before, so this was an exciting find. F/5.6.

That's all for now, but it looks like we might have some good weather next week - stay tuned!

Low Water and Fall Colors

On Saturday, I hiked to Goat Lake, one of my favorite places. Because the trail tends to be snow-free fairly early in the year, I'm typically here in June. But Goat Lake is also a worthy fall destination. While the fall colors aren't incredible throughout, they're very nice at the lake itself and on open slopes. Another advantage to visiting at this time of year is that, with lower water levels, there's quite a bit more beach around the lake to explore.

Skies were generally overcast. While I prefer the evenness of overcast lighting for forested settings, it's a double-edged sword in a place like Goat Lake. On the one hand, the evenness of the lighting is still helpful, reducing contrast and accentuating colors. On the other, it is difficult or impossible to expose for both the bright-cloudy sky and foreground elements. As such, I wasn't able to include as much of the mountains in my composition as I can on a clear day, and had to get a bit creative with my compositions. 

First, a direct view of the lake in all of its glory, with fall colors becoming visible. The lake shore/horizon is closer to the midpoint than I'd prefer, although the reflections add some symmetry and help with this problem. This vantage point was probably underwater earlier in the summer, so it was fun to stand there. F/18.

Second, the lake through branches. In this case, I benefitted from the day's very light winds. F/14.

Next, a view of the lake with a a more prominent foreground. It's busier than I had envisioned, but I still like this one. F/16.

Finally, a small falls on Elliott Creek near the lake. F/16, 1.3 seconds.