Back to Normal?

I'm sure all of my western Washington readers share my relief at the passing of the smoke and the belated arrival of the autumn rains. It has been nice to be able to go on walks again, open the windows, and just generally enjoy being outside. On Saturday, I had the morning free, so I hiked the short Old Robe Canyon trail near Granite Falls.

First, a nice mossy forest shot. Autumn colors in the western Washington lowlands can be a bit hit-or-miss, especially under tree cover, where leaves can turn to pale yellow or mottled brown. But the colors along the trail were surprisingly nice. F/18.

Next, two shots of the South Fork Stillaguamish River, from the same vantage point. Water levels were still quite low, something that will probably change a lot in the next few weeks. I think I prefer the first, because it has a better sense of depth, and features fall colors more prominently. In the second, since I used a wider angle and tilted the lens downward a bit, the lines aren't as straight. I do like the additional water motion that is visible in the second shot, however. Both F/16, 0.6 and 0.5 seconds.

Finally, a view up the river near the end of the maintained trail. There was a slight breeze, so I had trouble timing the shot so that all of the leaves were still and sharp at the same time. This final result is pretty good, although some of the orange leaves aren't quite as sharp as I'd like. Still, I like the composition, and the vivid colors. F/16.

That's all for now! There's a lot of rain in the forecast, but hopefully I'll get some more chances to get out and enjoy fall colors before winter scenery sets in. I will confess that I feel a bit robbed of fall; I usually am able enjoy sunny skies and vivid red fall colors in the high country in late September and early October (such as these trips last year). It might have been possible this year - the smoke wasn't always bad everywhere - but I didn't want to risk it, and there is a limit to how far I'm willing to drive for a day hike. Anyway, I'm just glad that conditions have improved, and I'll take what I can get for the remainder of the fall season.

Dodging the Smoke

The last couple weekends, due to the wildfire smoke in the region, I've been seeking out destinations with cleaner air, near the Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and north of the smoke from the Bolt Creek fire. I'm sure there have been areas in the mountains with clean air, but wasn't worth it to me to try to guess where those would be and, if wrong, have to choose between turning around or getting a sore throat and headache.

Fall color on western Washington's beaches is subtle - the landscapes don't jump into the camera like they do in the subalpine, where whole slopes turn bright red. I also faced the challenge of a pale, washed-out-looking sky due to wildfire slope aloft. Even so, I got a handful of nice pictures.

Barnum Point

The first place I visited was the Barnum Point Preserve on Camano Island. There are trails through the woods and to the beach, and you can hike a roughly three-mile loop around the park. The forest is nice but nothing special - mostly drier second-growth forest. The beach areas were great, though, as were the more meadowy sections.

First, some autumn leaves (alder or birch of some sort?) in the foreground, with the beach and bluffs in the background. F/7.1.

Next, rose hips with another view of the beach in the background. I don't know which species I photographed, but Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) seems to be the most common in these sorts of environments, so it's a good guess. I like the contrast between the vivid colors of the foreground and the muted colors of the beach. F/9.

Deception Pass

The following weekend, I visited the Lighthouse Point area of Deception Pass State Park. I was concerned about smoke rolling in for the afternoon, so I chose this relatively short trail. First, my favorite of the day, with a colorful small madrone in the foreground, and autumn colors in the background. F/5.6.

Next, two images from the beaches in the area. As mentioned above, the smoky skies look a bit pale, and the sunlight through the smoke created unusually warm color tones. I think these compositions still work, though, particularly the first. F/18 and F/16, respectively.

That's all for today! It looks like our weather will be returning to a normal pattern soon, which is a relief. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see fall color up high before the rain gets too bad, but I'm mostly excited about getting a break from the smoke.

Mirror and Cottonwood

Last week, I hiked to Mirror and Cottonwood Lakes, a relatively short and easy hike just east of Snoqualmie Pass. I chose a short hike very intentionally - the weather was clear, and I wanted to reach the lakes before the sunlight became too harsh. Midday sunlight is easier to work with this time of year than in, say, July, but the contrast can still be challenging.

The day's biggest challenge, however, wasn't the bright sunlight; instead, it was using the polarizing filter effectively. I often use a polarizing filter to reduce glare from leaves or deepen the color of the sky, and in these cases, it can be fairly straightforward. This time, several of my photographs involved reflections or colors from the surface of the lakes, and getting the sky to look the way I wanted it reduced the reflection visible from the lakes (the polarizing filter reduces glare from surfaces, but I obviously wanted some from the lakes). I ended up privileging the reflections and the look of the water. But since the polarizing filter seemed to be affecting the water and the sky differently, this resulted in skies that were unevenly and, in places, overly polarized. I've had more success than I thought I would correcting for this in Lightroom, but the edits below are still very much works in progress.

First, a nice view of Mirror Lake, with a reflection visible. I believe the mountain on the other side is Tinkham Peak. F/16.

Here's another view of Mirror Lake, with autumn leaves and berries in the foreground. Due to the foreground, I was more excited about this version at the time, but in retrospect, I don't think it's as compelling as the one above. Sometimes you can't beat a good reflection. F/16.

Next, a view of Mirror Lake from a different vantage point. I like the rich blue of the water, and the hazy bluish-green of the trees on the opposite lake shore. F/14.

Relatively early on in the hike, you reach Cottonwood Lake, below. Since it was still fairly early in the day, the sunlight was quite angled, and my vantage point was shaded. I like the effect of the shaded rock in the foreground, and the contrast between cool and warm colors. F/16.

Finally, two early-morning forest shots from the vicinity of Cottonwood Lake. Some of the highlights got a little bright, but the vibrant colors and the lichen make up for it. Both F/14.

There's a longer but apparently scenic approach to Mirror Lake that involves a few miles of the PCT. I'd like to come back and try that at some point - maybe on an overcast day, when I'm not racing against the changing sunlight.