Last Camping Hurrah?

Not long ago, I took what might end up being my final camping trip of the year, to the North Fork Quinault area of Olympic National Park. Earlier this year, I'd had dreams of an August trip to the Mount Adams area, but with fires and smoke there and elsewhere in the Cascades, I couldn't risk it. I decided that the Olympic Peninsula would be a safer bet, with much less haze and lower shower chances. It ended up being a pretty solid choice. The North Fork Quinault Trail, which I did as a day hike, had a fun mix of forest and open views, with some nice stands of old-growth trees. And the area was not crowded at all; I think it gets overshadowed by the nearby Enchanted Valley trailhead and the more well-known Hoh Rainforest.

My favorite image from the hike is this one. The sunshine was a bit filtered by clouds at this point, helping me avoid overexposing the highlights. F/16.

Next, looking up the North Fork Quinault River. I experimented with a couple different shutter speeds here; the one I liked was the shorter one (1/30 of a second). Somehow, it does a better job of depicting the rapid motion of the water. I often do like the silky effect of long exposures of water, but it didn't do it for me this time. F/13.

Here's another view over the North Fork Quinault. F/18.

Next, an old-growth cedar trunk. The highlights did get a bit overexposed (especially upper right). F/16.

One last view of the North Fork Quinault River. I like the color contrast between the river and the berries on the left. F/16.

That's all for now! I'm sad that my camping season might be over, but I'm grateful that I got three solid trips in this year. Besides, fall often ends up being a good time for hiking and photography, so I still have some fun outdoor times to look forward to this year!

Trout Lake

Yesterday, I took a short hike to Trout Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I wanted a hike that I could do with ample time for photo stops before the heat of the day. The trail goes on to other lakes, one of which I visited on a prior hike (more than ten years ago!). When I did that, though, due to the distance and elevation gain, I was barely able to make it back to the trailhead in daylight after having taken time for photo stops. The higher lakes are beautiful, so maybe sometime I'll camp nearby and get started on the hike right at dawn, when I can get at least some of the climbing done before the hottest part of the day (perhaps even in a slightly cooler weather pattern) and not feel rushed.

Here's my favorite image from the morning, looking over Trout Lake with fireweed in the foreground. F/5.

Here's Trout Lake again, with the sky visible this time; I like the wispy clouds. There's a bit of haze visible, perhaps from wildfire smoke, but thankfully it didn't obscure the view too much. F/16.

Next, another fireweed shot. I was taking a bit of a risk with the high contrast here, but it highlights the early-morning feel, which I like. F/4.5.

Other than the lake, there's a lot to see on the short hike, including some views of the surrounding topography, the West Fork Foss River, and a handful of massive trees. Due to the lighting contrast, I didn't try to do any deep-woods or river photography. But I was able to get this shot of a cool cliff face visible through an opening in the forest. F/14.