Fall Color Extravaganza

This weekend, I hiked to Tonga Ridge and Mount Sawyer, hoping for one more sunny fall-color hike in the mountains before the weather really turns (possibly this week).  I've been to Mount Sawyer once before, in the summer, and I think I liked it better as a fall hike. In July of 2019, bugs, heat from the sun, and heavy brush made the final push to the summit challenging. This time of year, those factors are all a bit more reasonable.

First, an image from my hike up the mountain in the morning. This one doesn't feature the jagged mountain peaks that you'll see in some of the other shots I took, but since it was earlier in the day, the angled sunlight brought out colors really well. F/16. 

Next is a series of images from my hike back down the Mount Sawyer portion of the trail, roughly going from most to least favorite. I chose to order the day this way, making a mostly continuous push uphill and saving my photography for the hike down (with the exception of the one you already saw), so that I could scout out the best locations to set up shop. The views changed with every step, and I wanted to take note of those as well as the most considerate locations for photography (places where people could pass me and my gear safely without detouring into the meadows).

In this first one, I think there's a good sense of depth from the foreground, and, for lack of a better way to put it, a good sense of open space. F/16.

The highlight of the next one is the color contrast in the foreground between the green young trees and the red huckleberry leaves. F/16.

The next one doesn't have the same sense of dramatic open space that the ones above have, nor are the colors as vibrant. But since I positioned the camera more along the hill (rather than looking straight down like in the image above), the converging verticals are not nearly as pronounced. F/14.

The last of this series has the least pronounced sense of depth, and the most distracting converging verticals. I liked the color contrast of the leaves in the meadow, but that doesn't come through as well in this picture as it did in person. F/14.

Finally, the view from the top of Mount Sawyer. Speaking of converging verticals, they're pretty obvious here, created by the downward angle of the lens. In this case, though, I think they're beneficial, and add to the sense of depth. F/14.

It looks like that might be it for warm, sunny fall hikes for this season, as least in the high country. Stay tuned for more adventures around the lowlands of western Washington!

Plan B

Last weekend, I was headed to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail, because I wanted a river/forest hike after two visits to mountain lakes. When I got there, however, the parking lot was extremely crowded due to some sort of trail running event going on. Looking at my map and their signs, I was able to piece together that the CCC Road Trail south/west of the Pratt Balcony trailhead was out of range of the trail running event, and headed there as an alternative. That section is clearly lightly traveled in general - past the turnoff to the somewhat more popular Pratt Balcony, we saw only one other hiking party all morning, and were frequently hiking through heavy brush. It turned out to be a relatively easy hike through mixed forest types, with occasional views out to Russian Butte. Would I hike it again? Not necessarily. The brush and thorns wore on my patience. And while the forest is certainly nice and pleasant, it's nothing more scenic than the many other second-growth forest trails in the area (or closer to home). Even so, I walked away with a few decent pictures, and it was nice to have a peaceful walk in the woods with lots of solitude. 

First, a lush stand of maples and alders, with bigleaf maple leaves in the foreground. F/14.

Next, one of those peek-a-boo views of Russian Butte. F/14.

Lastly, Russian Butte earlier in the morning, from near the trailhead. F/14.

September Roundup

Hello all! It seems I've gotten a bit behind on my blog, so I'm going to roll my best September excursions into one post. Highlights include two lakes that I had almost entirely to myself, and some fun fall colors! I still can't say that fall is my favorite season, but I've really come around to fall hiking, and about mid-September to mid-October is one of my favorite times of the year to be outside. The bugs and heat are gone, water crossings on trails tend to be easier, and there are lots of pretty colors everywhere.

Lake Janus

Most recently, I visited Lake Janus, along the PCT north of Stevens Pass. It's a lovely lake that tends to get overlooked in favor of nearby Lake Valhalla and Mount McCausland, which offer more dramatic mountain views. In fact, out of the few hiking parties I encountered on the trail to Lake Janus, the majority  had intended to head to Lake Valhalla but turned the wrong way at the intersection with the PCT. For a long stretch of time, there were no other hiking parties at Lake Janus, which was worth the price of slightly-less-dramatic views. The boggy meadows around the lake seem like they could get quite buggy in the summer, so I don't know if I would revisit then, but I can definitely envision repeating this as a fall hike.

First, Lake Janus from one of the camping areas nearby. The foreground looks a bit busier in practice than it did in my mind's eye, but the fall-color effect still comes through fine. F/16.

Next, Lake Janus from nearer the shore. I like the warm tones of the grass and leaves in the foreground. F/16.

Lastly, a meadow near the lake. F/16.

Hope and Mig Lakes

Before that, I hiked to Hope and Mig Lakes, also near Stevens Pass. Like Lake Janus, Mig Lake tends to be overlooked; it seemed like most hikers were turning the other direction, to Trap Lake. But the trail to Hope and Mig Lakes is one of my favorite fall hikes, due to the solitude and the colorful meadows around Mig Lake.

Here's a view of one such meadow. I took a picture from almost the same vantage point last year (first image), but this time included the sky, which I think I might like better. F/16.

Here's a similar view from nearby. The colors aren't quite as striking, but I enjoy the symmetry. F/16.

Next, Mig Lake. There was a slight breeze at this point, which was a mixed blessing. It took longer to time a shot with the leaves being still, but the breezes also stirred up the water, creating the photogenic blue reflections that are visible here. F/16.

Here's another view of Mig Lake, this time with a selective-focus approach. F/5.

On the way to Hope and Mig Lakes, there are a few clearings in the woods with patches of vine maple, which can be one of the most colorful trees in the fall. I really liked the green and red patterns in the ones below. F/7.1.

Lastly from that hike, a peek-a-boo view of Hope Lake through trees. I was concerned about the high contrast, but I think it works. F/14.

Odds and Ends

There were a few instances in the last month where I made closer/shorter trips, for weather or other reasons; I wasn't as thrilled with my results from these outings, but had two images worth blogging about. First, a forest view from a brief dry break during a rather rainy morning on Tiger Mountain. I don't recall the exact location of this one, but it was somewhere in the Tradition Plateau area. I do like the scattering of yellow leaves in the shot. F/16.

Next, some little ferns (licorice ferns?) growing on a tree trunk in Tolt-Macdonald Park near Carnation. I like the selective-focus concept of this shot, but I'm not convinced that I made it work. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it might be because the parts of the composition aren't distinct enough from each other, or I wasn't close enough to the little ferns in the foreground. F/8.

All for now. Thanks for hanging in there!