Clear Skies at Baker River

On Saturday, I hiked the Baker River trail in the North Cascades, which is one of my all-time favorite places. Even though the trail is mostly forested, there are enough views of the river and surrounding terrain that I thought it would still be worthwhile on a sunny day. My instincts were correct, and there was more fall color remaining than anticipated. Moreover, there were no other hiking parties on the Baker River trail while we were there. Sometimes, this level of solitude can be a bit unsettling. This time, though, it only intensified the wild feel of the trail (and made it easier to take my time setting up my tripod).

First, my favorite image of the day, the Baker River and what I think is Hagan Mountain from a beach that I haven't seen before; either the bank was recently created, or it's only accessible due to the dry fall we've had thus far. I really like the look of it, particularly the contrast between warm sunlit tones and the cooler colors of the shaded areas. F/16.

Here's another view of Hagan, this time through trees. I like the sense of depth, and the hint of fall color in the foreground. F/14.

Here are two more views of Hagan Peak from a nearby vantage point, this time through more trees, and with varying amounts of the river visible. I like the slightly gnarled tree in front, and the way the sunlight highlighted the moss. There isn't as much of a sense of open space as there is in the image above, so I think these two are ultimately not as compelling, but I'm happy that the background scenery comes through strongly despite the relatively busy foreground. Both F/16.

Next, a vine maple leaf with an interesting color transition. I don't usually break out the macro lens this time of year, so taking this picture was a fun change of pace. The image is a little grainy; the light was pretty low, and I had to boost the ISO to get a shutter speed fast enough to keep the leaf sharp. It'll do the job, though. F/5.6.

Lastly, a fall-color scene from the early stretches of the trail. I wish I had gotten a bit closer to the foreground plant; this would have highlighted the frost on the leaves, and accentuated the depth-of-field effect. F/7.1.

That's all for now! I hope my readers can all enjoy the sunshine before the rain returns.