Tuesday, November 21, 2023

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.


No comments: