Saturday, October 02, 2021

Vine Maple Extravaganza at Gold Creek

Yesterday, I took a trip to one of my favorite hikes, the Gold Creek trail near Snoqualmie Pass. I wanted to visit this fall because of the vine maples that grow abundantly in the clearings, and I was in luck - they were at about peak color, with lots of deep reds and oranges to gawk at. The trail conditions were a bit interesting - the brush and trail were very wet from the previous day's rain, giving me a good soaking - but the fall colors and warm sunshine were well worth this inconvenience.

First, an image from my turnaround point, which was the big avalanche area a few miles in. My initial plan was to stop at the edge of the avalanche clearing, as I had read trip reports about the trail through it being very overgrown. In the distance, however, I saw a patch of colorful vine maple that looked like it was next to an elevated section of trail. The brush really was as bad as the stories suggested, but the vine maples framed the surrounding views in a very picturesque way, so I'm glad I persisted. This image is looking up the valley; I'm not sure what peak is in the distance. F/16.

Next, an image from the same vantage point, but looking down the valley. F/16.

Below, a view of some fireweed plants (with flowers and seeds both mostly gone). The sun had only just emerged over a mountaintop, so the morning mist was still in the air. This was the only image from the day that didn't involve vine maple in some way. F/16.

Next, a view from the first clearing along the trail, which is one of my favorite spots for photography due to the expansive views of the surrounding terrain, and the abundant wildflowers and fall foliage in their respective seasons. F/16.

Here's an early-morning shot from the same vantage point as the image above. The detail quality suffered a bit here due to the low lighting, but I still like the result. F/18.

Lastly, looking up the valley wall. F.14.


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