East side camping trip

I recently returned from a multi-night camping trip that started in Spokane. I was there for a wedding in the family, and thought I might as well camp my way back across the state. Due to forecasts for heat and thunderstorms, piecing together an enjoyable itinerary was a bit difficult, but I think I made the best of the time and the weather.

Riverside State Park

Our first night of camping was at Riverside State Park in Spokane. The Bowl and Pitcher is a busy spot in the afternoons (understandably so, due to the many trails, easy river access, and unique scenery). At sunrise, however, I had the river to myself. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Maple Pass Loop

The next stage of our trip was three nights in the north Cascades; once there, we hiked the Maple Pass Loop trail, which is one of the most scenic hikes in the area. The wildflower displays were not as impressive as they've been other years I've visited, possibly because of how dry it's been this spring and summer. The hiking experience was also more strenuous than my prior visits due to the heat. Because of those factors, and because of the harsh lighting, I didn't do as much photography as I did on those prior visits, and didn't end up with any closeups at all. I think I made the best of the lighting with my landscapes, however.

Here's one nice patch of paintbrush that was still hanging on near Maple Pass. F/16.

Next, the classic view down to Lake Ann, with fireweed in the foreground. F/14.

On the way down from Maple Pass, I found this fun patch of pasqueflower seed heads. In the glare, I was having a hard time getting the focus point just right, so the foreground isn't as sharp as I wanted. On the other hand, I like that this isn't totally front-lit; the mountains are more interesting that way.  F/14.

Below, a patch of heather still blooming near the trail's summit. I like how this ended up compositionally, but I'm less fond of the harsh midday lighting. F/14.

Finally from the Maple Pass Loop, a mountain view with some larch trees (I think) in the foreground. I liked how the gnarly branches framed the mountain. F/14.

Cutthroat Lake

The final hike was to Cutthroat Lake, also off the North Cascades Highway. This trail was much, much easier than the Maple Pass Loop, perfect for a very hot day. The lake itself is different from other mountain lakes I've visited, with a grassy/marshy shore and not a lot of access points to get right up to the water. On the other hand, the mountain views are quite dramatic for such an easy hike. At any rate, I like the landscapes below, and think they do a good job of showcasing the scenery. Both F/14.

That's it for now! I'm not sure whether I'll get out on another camping trip this year. Hopefully I can, but if not, here's to the rest of the summer's day hikes! This time of year is a trade-off - the wildflowers aren't as nice and I sometimes have to dodge smoke, but bugs and trail conditions tend to be more manageable. See you soon!

Waterfall Perspectives

Last weekend I visited the Boulder River trail near Darrington, hoping for an outing that wouldn't be too physically challenging. For most of the hike, due to the sunshine and breezes, I had a hard time with photography in this densely forested environment. I did have some success at the double waterfall early along the hike, with some very different perspectives.

First, vine maple seeds in the foreground, with one of the falls in the background. I wasn't expecting to photograph anything other than green that day, so this was a fun surprise. F/4.5.

Next, two landscapes including the double falls. I think the vertical one is my favorite, because you see more of the falls themselves and the lighting is a bit more uniform. Both F/16, 1/2 second and 1/3 second respectively.

Esmeralda Basin 2025

About a week ago, I hiked the Esmeralda Basin trail, which is one of my favorite wildflower hikes this time of year. Every time I go, I notice something new, and this year's visit was no exception.

First, two classic flower-and-mountain landscapes, with lots of scarlet gilia (or skyrocket) in the foreground. These were from the same vantage point. I think the lighting and depth are more interesting in the first, but I do enjoy the valley perspective in the second. Both F/14.

Next, a meadow of shooting star and a lone paintbrush that caught my eye. The Esmeralda Basin has a fun diversity of flowers, partially because some meadows are quite dry (like the one above, with the scarlet gilia) and some are wetter (like the one below; shooting star likes these conditions). F/18.

The summit was quite cold and windy, and I wasn't able to do much photography. I did, however, like this shot of Hawkins Mountain through short, weather-worn trees. F/16.

Now for some closer flower shots. First, what I think is a color variant of scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata), which is usually red. I've never seen it growing in a different color like this. F/6.3.

Next, shooting star (genus Primula). I like the linear contrast between the angled foreground stem and the straight background stems. F/5.

Below is a flowering shrub that I'm guessing is something in the genus Rhododendron. Best guess is either western Labrador tea (Rhododendron neoglandulosum) or white rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum), probably the former. F/5.

Lastly, some sort of buckwheat (genus Eriogonum), perhaps arrow-leaf buckwheat (Eriogonum compositum). I had to do this one handheld, so the sharpness isn't fantastic, but it's still fun to have a closeup of a new flower. F/4.5.

Rainy Day Details

On my most recent photography trip, because I had only a brief amount of time available, I chose the short and easy Big Four Ice Caves trail so I could still have some time to slow down for photography without feeling rushed. Due to ongoing drizzle, I didn't really have any success with landscapes - the mountains were hidden, and I was getting water on my lens every time I tried to apply or remove a filter. I had better luck with flower closeups by the ice caves. My macro lens is able to have a polarizing filter live on it more or less permanently, and my closeup shots generally didn't need to angle up the way mountain shots do in that location, so I kept the lens surface dry. The water droplets on the flowers were an added bonus.

First, partridgefoot (Luetkea pectinata), growing in a dense mat amongst other leaves and rocks. These flowers are small and I've often overlooked them; I'm glad I slowed down enough to notice how interesting they are up close. I like the color contrasts between all of the elements: stems, flowers, and leaves. F/5.

Next, raindrops on a tiger lily, or columbia lily (Lilium columbianum). F/5.

Next, subalpine spiraea (Spiraea splendens), with Sitka valerian also in the background. I was intrigued by all of the tiny water droplets on the flower cluster. F/5.

Lastly, red columbine (Aquilegia formosa), again with out-of-focus Sitka valerian in the background. F/4.5.

Happy summer, even if (for my local readers at least) it doesn't quite feel like it yet!

Blue Skies at Perry Creek

On Saturday, I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and hiked the Perry Creek trail, which is one of my favorite early-season mountain hikes. The weather was by far the warmest for any hike I've done this year. While hiking uphill, I had a moment where I thought to myself, "why am I sweaty and uncomfortable?" I realized that this feeling was indeed warmth, and I needed to shed some layers! Once I'd made that mental transition, I had an excellent time in the sunshine, admiring the mountains and watching hummingbirds zip around.

First, two shots of Hall Peak through maple trees. These are compositions I've never been able to try before, because clouds would make for too much contrast between the sky and the maple trunk. I haven't decided which of these I like better. The first one has a better sense of depth, and the mountain is more prominent; the second one has fun near-symmetry. F/14.

Because of the sunshine, and because of the breezes that the sunshine was generating, I didn't have as much success with wildflower closeups as I've enjoyed in the past. I like this shot of trillium, however; the different colors are due to the fact that trillium petals turn purple as they age. The sunlight was filtered through some trees, which helped moderate the contrast. I also like the yellow flowers (some sort of violet) that are out of focus in the background. F/5.

Next, a little stream along the trail, with what I think are devil's club leaves (among others) in the foreground. F/16, 1.6 seconds.

Lastly, one more shot of Hall Peak, this time framed through new maple leaves. F/16.

Clear Day at Deception Pass

Every spring, I try to see the wildflowers up in the Deception Pass/Fidalgo Island area. This year, I visited Lighthouse Point in Deception Pass State Park on an exceptionally clear, and exceptionally quiet, rare Monday morning off work. The sunshine and breezes made very close flower shots a challenge, but I enjoyed having blue sky and water colors to work with, as well as good visibility of the Olympic mountains.

First, camas flowers (Camassia quamash) with Deception Island in the distance. The Olympics are visible as well, but at this depth of field they don't stand out very well. F/6.3.

Next, chocolate lily (Fritillaria affinis). Because of the darker flower color, these ones are easy to miss, but I was fortunate enough to find this one growing alongside a trail. F/5.6.

Next, one of my favorite flowers: broadleaf stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium). I didn't get quite as close to the flowers as I have in the past (see the first photo here),  but I like how the shapes and colors of the plants are more perceptible. F/5.

Here's a new flower for me: I suspect it might be common woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum). I like the stark color contrast in this shot. F/5.

Lastly for the wildflowers, death-camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum). Neither of my tripods worked for the camera height I needed for this shot, so I had to shoot handheld. Because of that, the sharpness isn't quite what I'd like it to be. F/6.3.

Now a landscape from the day: looking roughly south from Lighthouse Point toward West Point and the Olympics beyond. F/14.

Middle Fork Moods

My last two photography trips were both to trails along the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, but with very different results due to the weather. My most recent outing was to the Oxbow Loop Trail under bright sunshine and clear skies. The first image shows one of the mountain views from that trail. I like how the yellow-green color of spring growth comes through clearly. It was also a somewhat hazy morning, and I like how the mountain almost becomes a silhouette in this picture. F/14.

Next, Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) out in full force along the Oxbow Loop. The sunlight coming through the forest made the contrast a bit tricky. It helps that the in-focus flowers in the foreground are fully shaded; if sunlit, their overexposed highlights would have been less attractive. The bright highlights in the out-of-focus background aren't as much of an issue. F/5.

In the next one, I tried something a little different with the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. Usually when I take pictures of rivers and other moving water, I use long shutter speeds to get a blurred/silky look. This time, I used a short shutter speed - 1/320 of a second - to freeze the water's motion. To accomplish this, I had to use a wider aperture (F/5.6), which is why only the foreground rocks are in focus. I'm not thrilled with how dark the background is, but I still thinks this image is interesting overall.

Next, red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) blooming, with a peek-a-boo mountain view in the background. F/5.6.

Finally from the Oxbow Loop, a wider-angle shot of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River, with red alder leaves in the foreground. The image quality ended up okay, considering the high contrast. This is a decent "rough draft" but if I were ever to print this, I think I'd go back to the RAW file and tinker a little bit more with the lighting and white balance. F/16.

Before the Oxbow Loop trip, I hiked the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail on a rather rainy day. There weren't many dry breaks for pictures, but during one of them, I found this nice cluster of salmonberry flowers. I like the deep pink, and the out-of-focus mossy tree at left. F/7.1.

Finally, during another brief dry break, a view looking uphill at some shrubs with new growth (huckleberry?) and the forest beyond. The bushes aren't as distinct from everything else as they seemed in person, but the sense of depth works well. F/16.