Along the Sauk River

Over Memorial Day weekend, my girlfriend and I were fortunate enough to stay at a campsite at the Bedal Campground near Darrington. When I booked the trip (months ago), I had high hopes that the Mountain Loop Highway would be fully open, allowing access to Goat Lake and hikes on the south side of the loop like Perry Creek. Alas, the segment between Bedal and Barlow Pass remained closed to vehicles. As a result, hiking options were rather limited. Thankfully, the Mountain Loop Highway immediately south of the campground made for excellent road walking - mountain and river views and even some old growth. We also managed to get out on one true "hike," which I'll get to later in the post.

Bedal Campground and Vicinity

First, the South Fork Sauk River and a mountain beyond (maybe the Twin Peaks? I'm not sure). F/18, 0.4 seconds.

Here's the same view, horizontal. Somehow, I don't find it as convincing - I don't think the composition leads the eye to the mountain as well. But it's still fine, and would be the one to use in something like a calendar. F/18, 0.4 seconds.

Next, a small stream along the Mountain Loop Highway. I was worried about the lighting being too harsh, but the trees filtered the early morning sunshine sufficiently. F/14, 3 seconds.

Here's a view over the Sauk River near the campground. This was a risk, in terms of both the high-contrast lighting and how busy the composition is. You can see enough of the river and hills to make it interesting, though, and having the trees all aligned helps. F/14.

Next, another experiment, this one from near the campground just after sunrise. I'm not sure if the mountain is as vivid as it needs to be, although it'd be worth seeing this one in print to make that final decision. F/18.

Below are two more views of the South Fork Sauk River from the road. I took the first at F/16, 2.5 seconds; the second at F/18, 0.8 seconds.

Next, some of the aforementioned old growth along the road. Some clouds came along and filtered the sunlight at just the right moment; otherwise, the lighting would have been too harsh. F/16.

Old Sauk River Trail

One hike that we were able to complete was the Old Sauk River Trail. The water levels were so high that some of my usual favorite river access areas were submerged! There was still plenty of quality river scenery, though. Here's my favorite shot from the hike, with morning light illuminating a red alder tree and the Sauk River beyond. F/16, 1/5 of a second.

Next, the Sauk River viewed through ferns. I like the idea behind this one, but in practice, I don't know whether the greens of the ferns and the background trees are distinct enough from one another. F/18, 1/4 of a second.

Finally, a shot from the lush forest along the trail. I like the jungle vibe that the maple leaves are giving off here. F/16.

That's all for now, but I just finished going through the pictures from a more recent hike, so take heart - there will be another long post here before long!