Sugarloaf

On Saturday, I made my first-ever visit to the Anacortes Community Forest Lands on Fidalgo Island, hiking to Whistle Lake and then Sugarloaf (continuing from the Whistle Lake trailhead). Whistle Lake is mostly forested with a few rock outcroppings and small clearings; it'd probably be worthwhile to return on an overcast day in the spring, for lake landscapes or to look for wildflowers. Sugarloaf sports some open meadows with views of both the Olympics and the Cascades; also likely worth a return trip.

Sunshine and glare made photography around the lake difficult, but I had one success at Sugarloaf. The composition below looks roughly east, with the Cascades visible. Were I ever to get this printed, the white balance might still need a bit of work, but it's getting close. F/16.

I'm excited to have already made my first photography trip of 2019, as I didn't really make it out last year until March. This time of year, with snow and storm damage in the mountains (plus this year's addition of the federal government shutdown), and bare trees and shrubs in the lowlands, the kind of photography I do can be difficult. So I'm considering Saturday's one post-worthy image to be a success!