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.