Clear Skies at Baker River

On Saturday, I hiked the Baker River trail in the North Cascades, which is one of my all-time favorite places. Even though the trail is mostly forested, there are enough views of the river and surrounding terrain that I thought it would still be worthwhile on a sunny day. My instincts were correct, and there was more fall color remaining than anticipated. Moreover, there were no other hiking parties on the Baker River trail while we were there. Sometimes, this level of solitude can be a bit unsettling. This time, though, it only intensified the wild feel of the trail (and made it easier to take my time setting up my tripod).

First, my favorite image of the day, the Baker River and what I think is Hagan Mountain from a beach that I haven't seen before; either the bank was recently created, or it's only accessible due to the dry fall we've had thus far. I really like the look of it, particularly the contrast between warm sunlit tones and the cooler colors of the shaded areas. F/16.

Here's another view of Hagan, this time through trees. I like the sense of depth, and the hint of fall color in the foreground. F/14.

Here are two more views of Hagan Peak from a nearby vantage point, this time through more trees, and with varying amounts of the river visible. I like the slightly gnarled tree in front, and the way the sunlight highlighted the moss. There isn't as much of a sense of open space as there is in the image above, so I think these two are ultimately not as compelling, but I'm happy that the background scenery comes through strongly despite the relatively busy foreground. Both F/16.

Next, a vine maple leaf with an interesting color transition. I don't usually break out the macro lens this time of year, so taking this picture was a fun change of pace. The image is a little grainy; the light was pretty low, and I had to boost the ISO to get a shutter speed fast enough to keep the leaf sharp. It'll do the job, though. F/5.6.

Lastly, a fall-color scene from the early stretches of the trail. I wish I had gotten a bit closer to the foreground plant; this would have highlighted the frost on the leaves, and accentuated the depth-of-field effect. F/7.1.

That's all for now! I hope my readers can all enjoy the sunshine before the rain returns.

Middle Fork Fall Colors

On Saturday, I took advantage of the surprisingly nice weather to hike the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail. Last year, I visited in late November, when the fall colors were mostly spent and the water was higher. This time, the scenery was quite a bit different, with lots of fall foliage still visible and low water levels. These low water levels meant that the river scenery was a bit less dramatic, but they made for easier hiking, and opened up some river beaches that I couldn't access last year.

First, my favorite image from the day. There are a few highlights that got overexposed, but the dramatic lighting and depth help make up for it. Sunlit forest shots are always a risk, but a few wispy clouds were filtering the sunlight just enough to make this work. F/14.

Next, a view out to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and its confluence with the Taylor River. The lighting still needs a bit of work, but I like the autumnal color palette. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Here's another view of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie, with a closer foreground. F/16, 1.6 seconds.

Next, two forest shots highlighting the autumn color on display. As is often the case in Washington, vine maple was the star of the show. The forest along the Middle Fork trail doesn't really qualify as old-growth (at least, not the section that I hiked), but there is still decent variety in the age and type of trees as compared with some other second-growth areas I've seen, allowing for scenes like those pictured below. F/16 and F/18, respectively.

Finally, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie from my turnaround point. If you look closely, you can see a few bits of early-season snow on the peaks! F/18, 0.4 seconds.