Autumn solitude

While everyone else has been knocking themselves out to see the larches, I enjoyed two opportunities to experience autumn in the Cascades in relative solitude over the past two weeks. I love larches as much as the next person, but have been nervous about visiting any of the prime spots within reach of the Seattle area (e.g., the Ingalls Way trail) due to reports of crowding, even on weekdays. I may still get out on a "larch march" at some point this season, as it's something I've looked forward to and enjoyed for the past couple years, but I was happy to avoid the crowds. And while I didn't find anything as superlative as the larch landscapes, the vine maples, bigleaf maples, and huckleberry plants of the west side have been putting on their own fireworks show.

Hope and Mig Lakes

The hike to Hope and Mig Lakes is one of my favorites to visit in the fall - plenty of fall colors, a few old-growth trees here and there, and not too long or strenuous despite a steep climb at the start. The weather was clear at times, creating lighting challenges, but also allowing me to see the landscape in ways that I hadn't in the past.

First, Hope Lake. With the clear skies, I liked being able to clearly see the hills behind the lake. F/16.

Next, two views of Mig Lake. By this time, clouds had rolled in; they were bright enough that I had to avoid including the sky in my compositions. The results turned out better than I had expected. F/14 and F/16.

Here's a different perspective of Mig Lake, with huckleberry plants in the foreground. F/6.3.

Lastly, two compositions from the Tunnel Creek Trail portion of the hike. The trail is rather steep and rooty in places, but the scenery makes up for it. The steep valley walls and tall trees helped screen out some of the sunshine and make the lighting more manageable. F/18 and F/14.

 

Perry Creek

More recently, I hiked the Perry Creek trail off the Mountain Loop highway, and on a Friday, had it almost entirely to myself. (How often do you get to say that about any place along the Mountain Loop?) The fall color was a bit patchy, as it often seems to be on the west side. Still, there was more than enough, courtesy of the valley's many maple trees, to make the trip worthwhile.

First, looking across the Perry Creek valley, with bigleaf maple on the left and red alder on the right. I spent a decent amount of time at this vantage point; I took some shots earlier on with more mist visible in the valley, but I like this one better, taken after I'd had time to refine the composition. F/16.

Next, another view across the valley, this time with a vine maple in the foreground. F/16.

Below, Perry Creek from my turnaround point. I like this image, although it would be better if the creek occupied a more significant portion of the composition. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Here's one that very closely resembles an image I took along this trail in June (fourth and final image in this post). I'm glad I revisited the composition, because the fall colors break up the green and add some depth. F/16.

Lastly, fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) gone to seed. Due to the narrower depth of field, getting the focus point exactly where I wanted it to be was tricky, but this result is decent enough. If I had been closer to the plant in focus, this would have been an easier task, but I like how the background fireweed and other shrubs are arranged. F/5.6.

That's all for now. Hopefully, I'll be back soon with more autumn scenery!

Tolmie Lookout

Last weekend, I hiked to the Tolmie Peak fire lookout in Mount Rainier National Park. The closure of Highway 410 near Greenwater made the Mowich Lake trailhead one of the more accessible areas of the park coming from the north or west. Others must have come to the same realization, because this was one of the more crowded hikes I've been on in a long time. Because I almost always use a tripod, crowded trails make photography difficult, even more so this year, when physical distancing is a must. There were still a few quiet moments, though, and enough room at the lookout to spread out comfortably.

First, my favorite two images from the hike, featuring Mowich Lake early in the morning. Although I like the hint of sunlight in the second, the mist and fall colors show up better in the first. Both F/14.

 

Next, Mount Rainier from the vicinity of the lookout, partially covered by a lenticular cloud. I'm not thrilled by the lighting and contrast, but there was no way for me to avoid being there at midday. I was worried about overexposure, but I actually overcompensated and underexposed this one; next time I'm in a similar situation, I'll try a wider range of exposures. F/16.

Next, two images showing Mount St. Helens far in the distance. It shows up more clearly in the first, making it my favorite of the two. F/16.

Finally, another view from near the lookout. If you can tear your eyes away from Mount Rainier long enough, there is plenty of grand scenery like this. F/16.

Autumn Comes to Baker River

Last weekend, I took advantage of a dry day to visit the Baker River trail in the north Cascades, a year-round favorite of mine due to the lush forests and grand river views. The day was sunnier than expected, but there were enough periods of filtered sunshine to make photography productive. For the most part, the foliage had not begun to turn color, but I found a few hints of fall here and there.

Here's my favorite from the hike, a view of the Baker River itself framed by some foliage starting to turn. F/14, 1/8 of a second.

Next, another view of the river, this time framed by an old tree. In the middle of the image, you can see evidence of times that Lake Creek has flooded, taking trees (and sometimes trail improvements) with it. F/16.

Here is an image I wasn't expecting to turn out well, due to the sunlight streaming through the forest. Thankfully, some passing clouds filtered it just enough to keep the contrast manageable. A devil's club plant starting to turn color anchors the image, and was what attracted me to the scene. F/16.

In the next one, the river is more obscured than in the compositions earlier in the post. I think you can see enough of it, though, to make it interesting. F/16.

Finally, another forest scene. The colors are more muted than I thought they would be, so I don't know that I'm thrilled by this one. F/18.

Emmons Moraine and the White River

Back in the halcyon days of a breathable atmosphere, my girlfriend and I went camping at the White River Campground in Mount Rainier National Park, hiking the Emmons Moraine trail while we were there. Other than a few hours of passing haze, conditions were great and the air was clear. We drove back only to find several wildfires to avoid, smoky skies, and road closures (the return trip took about three times as long as had the journey over). It was a jarring situation after such a fun and peaceful trip.

Emmons Moraine trail

First, the big highlight of the hike, the view over Emmons Moraine itself toward Mount Rainier, glaciers, and the headwaters of the White River. F/14.

The trail crosses the Inter Fork of the White River on a footbridge, and I thought its swift waters might be scenic, despite the harsh sunlight. When photographing moving water, I usually opt for a long exposure to blur the water's motion, but the brightness made that difficult. Thankfully, I like the effect of the faster shutter speed here. F/14, 1/30 second.

Below, an unnamed (I think) lake viewed from the trail. The breezes kept changing the pattern of the sun reflections on the water's surface, so I had to wait a few minutes for this to look the way I envisioned it (and for the sun reflections to not be a solid, overexposed mass). F/18.

White River Campground

I also did some photography in the vicinity of the campground, with both compositions involving the White River in some way. First, a peaceful early morning view. The natural curvature of the trees pictured here has the unintended effect of looking like wide-angle, almost fisheye-type distortion. I'm not sure what the effect is for the average viewer, but for me it's distracting. F/14.

 

Next, a closer view of the turbulent waters of the White River. The sky color is a bit muted, but that's actually a somewhat accurate representation of the scene, as smoke was passing through the air at the time. I'll probably have to do some more work to brighten things up. F/14, 1/25 second.

That's all for now. I'm sure all of my Washington readers are as anxious as I am for the time to come when we can actually breathe outside. When that happens, watch this space for more adventures. Until then, stay safe and hang in there!

Heliotrope Ridge, Gold Creek

Heliotrope Ridge

On Sunday, I hiked the Heliotrope Ridge trail, hoping to catch the tail end of wildflower season. I did indeed find some wildflowers, and a quite dramatic view of Mount Baker's glacier-clad slopes as well. Because of the relative ease of this hike and the good scenic payoff, the greatest challenge of the day was not the abundant sunshine, but my fellow humans. Due to the high number of hikers on the trail, I was hard-pressed to find compositions that didn't include people. Even after returning and looking through my pictures, there were a few that I wasn't able to use due to people in the frame that I hadn't noticed in person. Below are my best results without accidental human intrusion.

First, Heliotrope Creek, along with a few late-season wildflowers. F/14, 1/6 second.

Next, a close view of dwarf fireweed (Chamaenerion latifolium) with a background of lupine. F/9.

Below, a view from the end of the trail, looking up at Mount Baker and the Coleman Glacier. F/14.

Gold Creek

A week earlier, I visited a favorite hike of mine, the Gold Creek trail near Snoqualmie Pass. Due to a combination of winds, brightness, and some poor aperture and focus decisions on my part, most of my compositions turned out badly. Here is the only one I liked at all, a forest shot with devil's club in the foreground. F/6.3.

Railroad Grade, and more

On Tuesday, I set out to do the Railroad Grade hike, which shares a trailhead with the Park Butte hike. These hikes are both well-known for their views of Mount Baker, and I was hoping to catch some late-season wildflower displays as well. When I reached the start of Railroad Grade proper, however, I decided to turn around. The trail from that point is quite narrow with a very steep drop-off, and I tend to be nervous about balance, especially when wearing a tripod. I probably would have made it without incident, but I tend to be overcautious. At any rate, I used the extra time to wander farther in the direction of Park Butte, and found some nice scenery and wildflowers to photograph.

First, a view of Mount Baker from the Park Butte trail. For a midday exposure of a sunlit mountain, this result isn't bad. Before using this in any printed form, I'll likely spend some more time perfecting the lighting and sky color. F/16.

Next, a view of Twin Sisters from near Cathedral Camp. The lighting is a bit harsh, but everything is technically in range, so there's a decent chance of this one eventually looking good in print. F/14.

Below, the view from Railroad Grade itself. I like the effect the haze has on the hills, although it would have been nice to get more detail in the very distant peaks. F/14.

Next, afternoon light from the Park Butte trail near Rocky Creek. F/16.

Finally, a dry channel (or former channel) of Rocky Creek, with monkey-flower and other flowers blooming. Due to light breezes, I didn't get all of the leaves or flowers as sharp as I would have liked, but this result is decent. F/16.

Palisades Lakes

Earlier this week, I hiked the Palisades Lakes trail for the second time. It's a tricky hike - the ups and downs make for some steep climbs on the return trip, so the journey is more taxing than hikes with similar elevation gain and mileage where the grade is more consistent. Uphill misery is never too long-lived, though, and the scenic meadows and solitude are worth it. Because there are few views of Mount Rainier itself, this trail sees less traffic than others in the area despite the easy road access.

I first hiked trail about a year ago, but wasn't exactly thrilled by my results. This time, I think I did better. The clear weather made for more challenging lighting, but the wildflower displays were closer to peak, and I was able to anticipate where I'd want to spend the most time on photography.

First, Clover Lake, ringed by meadows of lupine and other wildflowers. Although not as dramatic as Upper Palisades Lake, Clover Lake is a peaceful and enchanting spot. F/14.

Also from Clover Lake, a closer view of elephant's head (Pedicularis groenlandica) growing near the lake shore. F/5.6.

Next, the highlight of the hike: the unbelievable lupine meadows just before Upper Palisades Lake. I don't think I've ever seen lupine meadows this thick or extensive. The first of this pair has better image quality. The second is more dramatic and has a compelling sense of depth, but I had to compromise a bit on the sharpness of the peaks and trees in the distance, so it might not look great at large print sizes. Both F/16.

Below is Upper Palisades Lake with lupine and other wildflowers in the foreground. F/14.

Finally, from the trailhead, a view over the White River valley in the morning light. F/14.