Favorite Places

While I enjoy exploring new parks and hiking trails, I spend a sizeable amount of photography time each year at locations that are already familiar to me. There are artistic advantages to repeat visits: when I know from prior experience what to look for, I can be more focused with my time, with clear concepts or objectives already in mind. Furthermore, I can experience and document a place in different seasons and meteorological moods. But I will admit that I also grow attached to places, particularly if my first visit represented a personal milestone, or provided needed relief during a hard time of my life. Earlier this month, I visited two trails that I've been coming back to repeatedly ever since I began hiking on my own - Goat Lake, along the Mountain Loop Highway; and Gold Creek, near Snoqualmie Pass. They feature enough scenery to make repeat visits artistically fruitful, and also bring back memories of the summer when I began to hike independently. Gold Creek, in fact, was my first solo hike in a wilderness area.

Goat Lake

First, a view of Goat Lake, with the lake itself out of focus, and what I believe are false hellebore leaves (Veratrum viride) in focus in the foreground. I think the narrow depth of field helps mitigate the effects of the high-contrast midday sunshine, keeping the image from becoming too busy. Due to the length of the hike and the unpredictability of cloud conditions, this lighting is a challenge I frequently face at Goat Lake. F/5.6.

Second, a more direct view of Goat Lake, from the lake shore at the day-use area. The contrast is a bit high, but I like the color gradient of the lake water. F/18.

Finally, three bunchberry flowers (Cornus canadensis) in the woods along the Lower Elliott trail. F/5.6.

Gold Creek

My trip to Gold Creek, in early June, was probably the earliest in the year I've ever made a visit. As such, I found different scenery than what I'm accustomed to from my summer and fall trips, including earlier-blooming wildflowers and bright new greenery. Below is one such scene, with Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) blooming in a clearing. F/18.

Next, a view of the waterfall in the large avalanche area a few miles in. I wanted to try setting it out of focus, with the avalanche clearing's abundant willows in the foreground (genus Salix; not sure of the species). F/5.

From the forest, a view of a wet area filled with devil's club (Oplopanax horridus). F/16.

Here's a cool shot of a trillium (Trillium ovatum) flower. Trillium petals are initially white, but turn pink or purple as they age. This is my first good picture of a trillium flower with aging petals. F/5.

Finally, a shot of Gold Creek itself, with a willow in the foreground. F/5.6.

One more post and I'll be caught up! Stay tuned for some sweet mountain views in Mount Rainier National Park!