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.