Pratt Balcony

A few days ago, I hiked to the Pratt Balcony viewpoint, in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie area. It's a short and relatively easy series of trails (there's still some elevation gain, but less than a lot of short viewpoint hikes that I've done). This fit the bill perfectly for the day, because I wanted to save time and energy in the afternoon to get the house ready for the holidays! I enjoyed the chance to watch the clouds and valley fog dance and change, and to bask in the sunshine once it was hitting the viewpoint.

First, a view over the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, out toward what I think is Russian Butte. I tried this view at several different times over the course of the morning, because the fog and light were constantly changing. I like this one, because there are still some hints of valley fog, but the visibility is mostly good, and the foreground trees aren't completely shadowed. F/14.

Next, a more centered view of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie. I similarly tried several versions of this and chose the best. F/14.

The angle with Russian Butte is really the show-stopping composition here, I think, but I also like this one, with a bit more emphasis on the valley fog. F/14.

Lastly, a view of the forest along the short trail to the viewpoint. It's very obviously a second-growth forest, without the diversity or wildness that you can get elsewhere in the area (particularly along the Middle Fork Trail), but it still has its mossy charms, particularly in the fog. F/18.

Wishing a wonderful holiday season to all of my readers!

Thanksgiving weekend sunshine

Traditionally, Thanksgiving weekend is rainy, or at least damp and cloudy, so you can imagine my excitement about the clear skies we've enjoyed. On Saturday, I hiked to Whistle Lake and Sugarloaf in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands, because I thought the sunny, south-facing summit of Sugarloaf would be perfect for such a day. Sugarloaf itself was more crowded than my hiking route was; I think most people hiking to the Sugarloaf summit choose a shorter route up the other side. I love Whistle Lake as well, though, and it's a manageable 7-ish-mile hike to see them both.

First, the view from the top of Sugarloaf. I tried a slightly different version of this shot that included a tree trunk at right. That version was better compositionally, but I didn't set the focus as accurately, and the clouds had shifted a bit and weren't in such a photogenic configuration. F/14.

Here's almost the same view with a narrow depth-of-field approach. This composition was at eye level, so I had to handhold (my tripod doesn't quite make it to my eye level). Thankfully, the bright sunshine enabled a quick enough shutter speed to make this work. F/8.

Next, another view from Sugarloaf, this time looking more to the east. It was a treat to get such good visibility of the Cascades. F/14.

Lastly, a view of Whistle Lake early in the morning, with a Pacific madrone tree in the foreground. Despite the high contrast, I actually like the lighting in this one; I think it's interesting. What isn't convincing yet is the image quality; I had some trouble getting the depth of field right. It might be good enough for standard print sizes, but I wish I had gotten better sharpness on the shaded areas of the trunk. Still, it was fun to try something different, with more challenging lighting than I usually work with. F/16.

A belated happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!

New Look at the Middle Fork

Yesterday, I hiked the Pratt Connector trail, which I'd been curious about for a long time. It shares a trailhead with the Middle Fork Trail, which I've hiked on multiple occasions, but instead heads westbound.  The Middle Fork Trail is a lot more popular, and perhaps deservedly so - the forest feels lusher and wilder. The Pratt Connector Trail, though, has the advantages of lighter hiker traffic, and nice river and terrain views through the second-growth forest. I focused my photography on the first couple of miles, which a few trip reports suggested were the best, but I enjoyed the area enough that I plan to come back and hike farther when the days are longer.

First, a misty view of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River from up on a hill. I was concerned about the high contrast due to the darker foreground branches, but I think the final result works. F/16.

Next, some fall colors remaining in the forest. The stretches of trail that we hiked had a more open feel than the eastbound trail, and the forests generally weren't quite as lush. There were some nice scenes, of course, and the one below was my favorite. F/14.

One final view of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie, from nearer the trailhead. F/16, 2 seconds.

Fall Sunshine at Baker River

I realized recently that I hadn't been to the Baker River trail this year, and it's one of my favorite places. So, I paid the trail a visit, wanting to go while the weather and fall colors were still nice. As always, the trail was very quiet, with only a handful of hikers past the bridge. Like the Old Sauk Trail, which I visited prior to this trip, the Baker River trail isn't thought of as a conventional "fall hike," but there were plenty of colorful bigleaf maples to light the way. I also enjoyed the sunny riverbanks; the low water level meant that there was more dry riverbed to explore than usual.

First, a view over the Baker River from a tiny beach along the trail. I don't remember it always being there, so perhaps it only appears when water levels are low, or it's a recent deposit. I was most excited about the mountains peeking out of the fog bank in the distance, but I also like the look of the rocks under the river's surface. F/14.

Here's a nice forest shot, with bigleaf maple leaves, trunks, and branches the stars of the show. F/14.

Here's another river view, from nearer the trailhead. At that location, the main river channel was so narrow and far away that traversing the dry, rocky river bed was a walk in its own right. I'm glad I made the trek, though! I wanted a composition that would highlight the colorful hillside on the opposite side of the river. F/16.

One final forest shot, with red alder trunks in the foreground. F/16.

Three Recent Trips

I've gotten a bit behind on my blogging, so in this post, my readers will get a three-for one deal! Here are my three most recent photography excursions.

Old Sauk Trail

Most recently, I hiked the Old Sauk Trail near Darrington. I had known there might be showers on that particular day, so all the tree cover came in handy. Although I did expect a few fall-color scenes, I was surprised by how vibrant and extensive the colors were. And showers notwithstanding, conditions were excellent for photography - even lighting, almost no breeze.

First, looking over the Sauk River. F/18, 0.6 seconds.

Here's an alternate view from almost the same vantage point. There's slightly more distortion near the edges due to the wider focal length. F/18, 0.6 seconds.

Next, a lush forest scene from the trail. F/14.

For the forest composition below, I included some ferns and a fallen log to add more depth. Looking at it now, I don't think that log is very visually interesting, but I like the ferns, and the fall color in the background. F/14.

Lastly from the Old Sauk, two images with a vine-maple-and-big-trees sort of theme. Vine maples don't get as colorful under forest cover as they do in open areas - the bright reds are mostly absent - but the yellow leaves can still make for some nice scenes. F/14 and F/18, respectively.

Big Four Ice Caves

Prior to that, I visited the Big Four Ice Caves trail on a warm, clear day; I wanted to see some sunshine and blue sky. I certainly did that, but the lighting ended up being the day's biggest challenge. In the meadowy area immediately near the ice caves, Big Four Mountain cast a huge shadow, making for dark foregrounds with very bright mountains in the distance. Elsewhere, the contrast was still very high. I did my best, but I'm not very excited about any of these.

First, Big Four Mountain itself. F/16.

Next, some of the other peaks visible from the area, with fall-color foregrounds. Neither the lighting nor the image quality thrill me in any of these, so I almost didn't post them, but here they are. Ironically, the middle of this set had the best image quality, but not the most interesting foreground. All F/16.

Whitehorse Trail

The third visit featured in this post was to the Whitehorse Trail out of Trafton. In theory, it's a bike trail. Unfortunately, due to the gravel surfacing, the overgrown blackberry bushes (which have thorns), and other issues, I don't see myself taking my bicycle up there anytime soon. It still makes for a nice walk, though! Since it's flat, the miles go by quickly; we were able to cover roughly eight miles round-trip before lunch. A lot of the trail is brushy/brambly, but there are some nice views of farmlands, woods, and the North Fork Stillaguamish River.

Here's the only image I really liked from the day, of the river with some hints of fall color. F/16.

Thanks for hanging in there! Hopefully I'll get one or two more chances to find some fall colors before it's time to look for winter scenery!

A Fall Favorite

On Saturday, I visited one of my favorite fall hikes: Hope and Mig Lakes via the Tunnel Creek trail. I missed last year due to smoke from the Bolt Creek fire, but I try to come every fall. The Tunnel Creek trail to Hope Lake is steep-ish and a bit rough, but pretty short, with some some nice forested scenery. The trail between Hope and Mig Lakes is much smoother (it's technically a part of the PCT), and breaks out into open areas with spectacular fall color.

First, an image showcasing the intense fall colors of the ground cover near Mig Lake. F/14.

Next, Mig Lake. When I was taking this picture, I was concerned that the contrast would be too high, but I think it came together. I like how the reflections sort of frame the fall colors in the foreground. F/18.

Here's another view of Mig Lake. The peak in the background is the most prominent landform visible from either Hope or Mig (it isn't named on the map I have). Perhaps that partially explains the relatively light visitation - you don't have the jaw-dropping views of cliffs and peaks that you get from crowded lakes like Snow Lake, Lake Twenty-Two, Colchuck, etc. But I think Mig Lake has a different kind of beauty, and I really appreciate the solitude. F/13.

Next, Hope Lake. Its shores are more wooded than those of Mig Lake, but there are still a few spots to get a nice view. F/16.

Lastly, a view from the Tunnel Creek trail, with colorful vine maple leaves in the foreground. The contrast is a bit high, and I had to boost the ISO to get a shutter speed short enough to freeze the leaves, so the image quality suffered a bit. The image would probably be okay at standard print sizes, but it isn't a prize winner. F/16.

Late Summer Hiking

Late summer and early fall are one of my favorite times of the year for hiking - water crossings are easy, trails tend to be in good condition, and the mountains start to light up with fall foliage. Practically speaking, enjoying this time of year has been challenging over the last few years due to wildfires and air quality concerns. So far, I'm having better luck this year than last year, so here are my trips so far.

Trail to Monte Cristo

Most recently, I hiked to the Monte Cristo townsite off the Mountain Loop Highway. It's a long but easy walk that mostly follows an old road to the historic mining and tourist town of Monte Cristo, where there are a few structures still standing. As is my style, I devoted most of my attention to photographing the landscapes along the way.

First, the South Fork Sauk River (or at least a channel of it). I'm not confident what mountains are visible in the distance. F/14, 1/15 of a second.

Next, some morning sunlight framed by alder trees. F/16.

Finally, some fireweed gone to seed, framing mountains and emerging fall colors. F/16.

Middle Fork Snoqualmie

Prior to that, I hiked the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail. The weather was overcast with almost no wind, which was perfect for forest photography. Accordingly, my favorite images from the hike were two forest compositions that highlight the beginnings of fall color. Both F/18.

Next, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River itself, viewed through alder leaves. I like the broken clouds and fog in the background. F/16, 0.6 seconds.

Here's another view of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie, with a colorful vine maple in the foreground. F/18.

I wasn't sure about this next one when I took it, but I actually really like it. The leaves, again with a hint of fall color visible, are framing a view of the opposite side of the valley. F/18.

Lastly from that hike, a closer view of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie. F/18, 1/4 of a second.

Dugualla State Park

Finally, back when air quality was still an issue in western Washington, I checked out Dugualla State Park on Whidbey Island. It's a nice network of forested trails on the eastern side of the Island, mostly second-growth with some old trees scattered throughout, with a hike down to a beach. The park doesn't have the world-class scenery of nearby Ebey's Landing or Deception Pass, there aren't much in the way of facilities like restrooms or picnic tables, and the beach would be difficult to access at high tide. But that said, the trails were very quiet, and there was a pleasant variation of forest type throughout.

Below, the Big Tree in the center of the park. I like the color contrast with the younger trees in the background. F/18.

That's all for now, but I'm hoping for the chance to find some fall colors soon. Stay tuned!

Sunrise Sunrise

Last week, I braved the heat and made a quick one-night camping trip to the Mount Rainier area. To beat the heat, I started my hike at Sunrise at sunrise. It was an early wake-up call to be sure, since I needed to leave time to have breakfast and drive to the trailhead. There's honestly something magical, though, about eating my granola and drinking my coffee while looking up at the stars.

I've seen in trip reports that it hasn't been a banner year for wildflowers up at Sunrise, and my observations during the hike reflected that. But I did find a few nice pockets of aster, as I hoped I would, including those below. I set up at this vantage point very shortly after sunrise; by the time I'd perfected the composition to the result below, the light had progressed a bit and wasn't quite as warm and gentle. It's still my favorite from the day, though. F/5.6.

Next, Mount Rainier from Burroughs Mountain, with purple lupine in the foreground. I would have liked the lupine to be larger in the composition, but this was as close as I could get without putting the tripod on meadow plants. I think the composition would really come into its own at a print size. F/18.

Lastly, two big views from Sourdough Ridge. F/18 and F/16, respectively. I've said this before, but I love how on clear days in the mountains, green fades to blue as the topography gets more distant.

That's all for now; I didn't have much time for photography before heat and harsh lighting took over. Hopefully the smoke and wildfires will ease off in their severity soon - late August and early September can be a very lovely time of year for hiking.

Goat Lake

Yesterday, having seen the news that the last section of the Mountain Loop Highway had finally opened for the summer, I couldn't resist a trip to Goat Lake, one of my all-time favorite hikes that I've ever done. At about ten miles round-trip, it's definitely longer than my usual photography hikes. As such, the challenge of the Goat Lake hike is time management. Every time I go, I have to pass by some photography opportunities on the hike up in order to reserve ample time for photography and relaxation at the lake itself, which is why this post will be on the shorter side.

First, the lake itself. The early-season flowers that I have used as foregrounds in years past have faded, so I decided instead to try some more direct lake shots. Even though I'm typically drawn to horizontal compositions, the vertical one below is my favorite from the day. The snowier mountain on the left is a natural focal point when looking at the lake, but I also wanted to draw attention to the nearer, more forested peak on the right. I like how the very distinct rocks in the lower third of the image gradually fade into blurred reflections. F/16.

Next, a horizontal view from the same vantage point, with more attention to the snowy peak. F/16.

Due to breezes, harsh lighting, and the length of the hike, I didn't spend much time on photography in the forested parts of the trail (which is most of it). However, I did get this fun shot of red elderberries with red alder trunks in the background. F/9.

Lodge Lake

Last weekend, wanting a shorter hike that I could complete before the hottest part of the day, I hiked to Lodge Lake near Snoqualmie Pass. It's not the most spectacularly scenic or wild hike I've ever done - the first half of the hike is in sight of the ski area and other development at the pass, and I-90 is audible throughout much of the hike. But the ski slopes were covered in flowers, and the lake itself was surprisingly pristine. Besides, when I was there (roughly 10 am), I had the lake to myself for a good half an hour, which is pretty special, particularly for a trail so accessible from I-90.

First, a view from the ski slope near the trailhead, with paintbrush in bloom. F/5.6.

Next, subalpine spirea in a meadow a bit farther along the trail. The mountain on the right is Red Mountain, I believe; I'm less sure about the one on the left. F/6.3.

Here's Lodge Lake itself, with what I think is Denny Mountain in the distance. I'm glad I was able to get a bit of a reflection. F/18.

Lastly, another view of Lodge Lake. I enjoyed the soft blue coming from the lake surface. F/16.