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!
