Lake Valhalla and Mount McCausland

On Thursday, before the rain descended upon us, I hiked to Lake Valhalla near Stevens Pass. It's an easy hike to a gorgeous lake; as such, it tends to be extremely busy on weekends, and I was grateful for the opportunity to visit on a weekday. Skies were clear, affording great views of the surrounding mountains. Because of this, and because of the fall color visible on higher slopes, I made a last-minute decision to hike up Mount McCausland on the way back. I didn't make it quite to the summit, because I was getting close to my turnaround time and wanted to save time for pictures, but the views en route were fantastic.

First, the amazing view from Mount McCausland. Lake Valhalla is in the center, with Lichtenberg Mountain on the left. F/14.

Next, the same view without Lichtenberg Mountain. The mountain adds drama, so that'll probably end up the preferred image, but I like how this composition has less empty space and features the lake more prominently. F/14.

Here's a shot from the sandy beach of Lake Valhalla, with Lichtenberg Mountain again in the distance. I shot this at a fairly wide angle with my tripod low to the ground; this ended up distorting the background trees, but I really like the feeling of depth here. F/14.

Next, one in which I tried putting the lake and mountain out of focus, with a mountain ash (Sorbus sitchensis) in the foreground. I set the focus point for the big cluster of the berries at the top, which I think worked pretty well. F/5.6.

I tried another mountain-ash-and-lake composition, this one with a wide depth of field. It's a bit busy, but I think it still comes together. F/16.

Next, an image from the PCT en route to Lake Valhalla. Most of the hike passes through forest, but there are some nice openings like this one. F/16.

Lastly, something a bit different - fireweed flowers (Chamaenerion angustifolium) with frost crystals, taken early in the morning. I've never photographed a flower with frost on it before, so this was an exciting find. F/5.6.

That's all for now, but it looks like we might have some good weather next week - stay tuned!