Cougar Mountain

On Monday, I spent the holiday gallivanting around Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. It's not always my favorite place to do photography; the forest is young and very obviously second-growth, and there are areas of it that are simply not very photogenic. But the same time, there are some very lovely spots, such as the ravines and waterfalls scattered throughout the park, and I love that there is such a large park and trails system so near the metropolitan area. Moreover, the large network of well-marked, not-too-difficult trails makes for enjoyable walking. Such an excursion was exactly what I needed. I created a large loop that visited several waterfalls, including the popular Coal Creek Falls. While I didn't get any pictures that I liked of that particular waterfall, I ended the day with a couple nice images.

First, a view of Far Country Falls, in the southwest part of the park, surrounded by sword ferns. F/18, 2 seconds.

Next, a view of Coal Creek from the Wildside Trail. This composition risks being too busy, but I liked the way the trunks and branches framed the creek. F/14, 6 seconds.