Autumn solitude

While everyone else has been knocking themselves out to see the larches, I enjoyed two opportunities to experience autumn in the Cascades in relative solitude over the past two weeks. I love larches as much as the next person, but have been nervous about visiting any of the prime spots within reach of the Seattle area (e.g., the Ingalls Way trail) due to reports of crowding, even on weekdays. I may still get out on a "larch march" at some point this season, as it's something I've looked forward to and enjoyed for the past couple years, but I was happy to avoid the crowds. And while I didn't find anything as superlative as the larch landscapes, the vine maples, bigleaf maples, and huckleberry plants of the west side have been putting on their own fireworks show.

Hope and Mig Lakes

The hike to Hope and Mig Lakes is one of my favorites to visit in the fall - plenty of fall colors, a few old-growth trees here and there, and not too long or strenuous despite a steep climb at the start. The weather was clear at times, creating lighting challenges, but also allowing me to see the landscape in ways that I hadn't in the past.

First, Hope Lake. With the clear skies, I liked being able to clearly see the hills behind the lake. F/16.

Next, two views of Mig Lake. By this time, clouds had rolled in; they were bright enough that I had to avoid including the sky in my compositions. The results turned out better than I had expected. F/14 and F/16.

Here's a different perspective of Mig Lake, with huckleberry plants in the foreground. F/6.3.

Lastly, two compositions from the Tunnel Creek Trail portion of the hike. The trail is rather steep and rooty in places, but the scenery makes up for it. The steep valley walls and tall trees helped screen out some of the sunshine and make the lighting more manageable. F/18 and F/14.

 

Perry Creek

More recently, I hiked the Perry Creek trail off the Mountain Loop highway, and on a Friday, had it almost entirely to myself. (How often do you get to say that about any place along the Mountain Loop?) The fall color was a bit patchy, as it often seems to be on the west side. Still, there was more than enough, courtesy of the valley's many maple trees, to make the trip worthwhile.

First, looking across the Perry Creek valley, with bigleaf maple on the left and red alder on the right. I spent a decent amount of time at this vantage point; I took some shots earlier on with more mist visible in the valley, but I like this one better, taken after I'd had time to refine the composition. F/16.

Next, another view across the valley, this time with a vine maple in the foreground. F/16.

Below, Perry Creek from my turnaround point. I like this image, although it would be better if the creek occupied a more significant portion of the composition. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Here's one that very closely resembles an image I took along this trail in June (fourth and final image in this post). I'm glad I revisited the composition, because the fall colors break up the green and add some depth. F/16.

Lastly, fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) gone to seed. Due to the narrower depth of field, getting the focus point exactly where I wanted it to be was tricky, but this result is decent enough. If I had been closer to the plant in focus, this would have been an easier task, but I like how the background fireweed and other shrubs are arranged. F/5.6.

That's all for now. Hopefully, I'll be back soon with more autumn scenery!