Spring Break Part 2: Prairie Creek

While in California, I also visited Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, again on two separate days. I hiked the Prairie Creek Trail, portions of the Rhododendron Trail, and the Brown Creek trail. I chose routes that were on the shorter side (ca. 5-6 miles each day) so I would have plenty of time for photography stops. I had thought about hiking to the famous Fern Canyon and the Gold Bluffs Beach area via the James Irvine Trail, but ultimately decided against it due to the length of the hike, as I didn't want to rush my photography. (And, as you'll see in the next post, I was able to visit a nice coastal area on another occasion).

One of my favorite spots in the park was the Carl Schenck Memorial Grove, accessible via the Brown Creek Trail. The massive trees, open fern-covered glades, and creek make for a very picturesque environment. First, a view of some richly textured redwood trunks. F/16.

Here's another image from that spot, with Brown Creek itself just visible at lower right. F/16.

The Prairie Creek Trail was also captivating. The trail is frequently on the border of two distinct environments - imposing hillside redwood groves on one side, and dense streamside forests of maple and alder on the other. This combination, along with an understory that was generally denser than what I had seen at Jedediah Smith, added up to scenery that was more similar to creekside and riverside trails that I've hiked in Washington.

Below is an example of what I'm talking about: in the background is an old redwood, but it's framed by maple leaves (left) and blooming salmonberry (right). F/16.

Next, a series of images from lush redwood groves along the Prairie Creek Trail. I think the first is my favorite, due to the vividly colored ferns in the foreground, but I do like how the second one sets the redwood at right against the alders at left. It's very representative of the area. F/18, F/16, and F/18, respectively.

Lastly, a view of Prairie Creek itself, surrounded by spring foliage. The foreground leaves aren't as distinct as I'd like, so I don't think this image is all that exciting. F/14.

Thanks for reading another long post! Next up: a morning of wildflowers, sea stacks, and big waves along the California coast!

Spring Break Part 1: Jedediah Smith

Last month, I spent my spring break in California! Quite some time ago - last fall, if I recall correctly - I had stumbled on some pictures of the redwood parks in northern California, and I resolved to make the trip this spring if my work calendar allowed (and it did!). I stayed in Crescent City, and visited three locations for hiking and photography (some of them multiple times): Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the Coastal Trail, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Despite the nasty spring weather we've been having here in the northwestern U.S., I had very good luck during my trip; the worst I had to contend with was occasional morning drizzle, and I saw a surprising amount of sunshine.

Today's post focuses on Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the first park I visited, and the most unlike the scenery I'm used to in Washington. When you drive in via Howland Hill Road, you're suddenly surrounded by enormous redwood trees, contrasting with a surprisingly open and fern-carpeted forest floor. All of the scenery screams, "You're in the California redwoods now!"

Boy Scout Tree Trail

On my first full day in California, I hiked the Boy Scout Tree Trail, which is roughly five and a half miles round-trip. The redwood forest is gorgeous almost the entire way, and rolling terrain adds to the interest. The small waterfall at the end of the trail isn't particularly impressive or photogenic, but it makes for a satisfying turnaround point. Additionally, the sound of the creek is a fun surprise - most of the trail, far from any streams or major roads, is almost eerily quiet.

First, two images from a hillside about halfway into the hike. This isn't the site of the trail's biggest trees, but the views down into dense redwood forest were lovely, even mesmerizing. High clouds were filtering the sunlight just enough to make these work. Both F/14.

Next, redwood textures earlier in the hike. F/16.

Below, an example of what the forest looks like for about the first half of the hike. I tried this with and without ferns in the foreground, and since I'm not sure which version I prefer, I posted both. F/18 and F/16, respectively.

Lastly from Jedediah Smith, a more backlit scene, with rhododendron leaves in the foreground. There's a little bit of lens glare visible if you go looking for it, but I don't think it's too distracting, and there wasn't as much as I expected. F/14.

Nickerson Ranch and Mill Creek

The next day, I returned to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park for a different hike. I started at the Nickerson Ranch Trail, hiked it to the Mill Creek trail, and hiked that trail all the way to the Grove of the Titans. The redwood forest isn't as consistently stunning overall as it is along the Boy Scout Tree Trail, but it still makes for a great hike, and the periodic views of Mill Creek and surrounding streamside vegetation create some fun variety.

First, a nice grove of big redwoods along the Nickerson Ranch Trail. I liked how the filtered morning sunlight was accentuating the individual trees. F/16.

Next, a big tree from Grove of the Titans. I normally wouldn't attempt an image like this on a sunny day, but the trunk was light enough, and reflecting enough sunlight, that I think it worked. F/14. As a side note, I'm glad I visited the Grove, although I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the Boy Scout Tree and Nickerson Ranch areas. The Grove of the Titans has some of the largest individual trees, but the overall forest scenery isn't as continuously impressive, and the trail is more crowded. Furthermore, most of the hike is on an elevated metal grate. While I understand the purpose of this surface in such a popular area, it isn't as fun to hike on (or set up a tripod on).

Here's a shot of Mill Creek that I really like. I was expecting the sunlight to be too harsh, but I was pleasantly surprised by the final result. F/16, 1 second.

Finally, another view over Mill Creek. I like the look of the trees in this one, but am less happy with how the creek itself gets obscured. F/16.

Thanks for hanging in there with this longer post. Next up, wildflowers and ocean views along the Coastal Trail!

Spring on the Sauk

Over the weekend, I hiked the Old Sauk River Trail near Darrington, an easy but scenic trail with river views, lush second-growth forests, and a handful of older trees. I've been there in late spring/early summer and in late fall, but never in the early spring. The spring foliage wasn't as advanced as I'd hoped it might be at this point (perhaps our cold April has played a role in that), but I still enjoyed seeing the place in a new season. There were lots of small flowers and scenes of new growth; my favorite pictures from the day were along these lines. I was less pleased with my landscape shots.

First, Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis), with bare mossy trees in the background. The flowers are a bit close to center, but I think the background framing makes the placement work. F/10.

Next, fern fiddleheads unfurling on the forest floor. I was worried that the sunlight in the background would be a problem, but it isn't too harsh. F/4.5.

Finally, buds and blooms on a shrub, probably a huckleberry of some kind (genus Vaccinium). If I had to guess, I'd say it's red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium), which seems to flower early in the season relative to others in the genus. F/5 and F/4.5, respectively.

That's all for now. Hopefully more spring adventures will be on the way soon!

Closeups at O'Grady

Over the weekend, I hiked through the O'Grady unit of the Green River Natural Area to look for wildflowers. I was last there relatively recently, in early February, but what a difference a month and a half makes! The trails are now full of new green growth and the sounds of birdsong. I was indeed able to find some wildflowers to photograph, and I'll start the post with those. First, trillium (Trillium ovatum), just after a rain shower. F/6.3. I thought about a wider aperture to blur more of the background, but stopping down just a touch preserved more clarity in the raindrops, which was the effect I wanted.

Next, salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) in sunlight that was filtered by high clouds. Any sunnier and the highlights would have been too harsh, but I think it ended up just right, and the backlighting of the flower petals is a nice effect. F/4.5.

There weren't many bleeding hearts (Dicentra formosa) out yet, but I did find a few just starting to open. Here's one such plant. I typically try to avoid including too much detail from the forest floor, as the background can get pretty busy, but I think it works here. Rain was falling while I took this picture, and the raindrops kept hitting the buds and causing them to move, so this one took a bit of patience. F/6.3.

Next, salmonberry buds. I like how they fade out of focus; that creates a good sense of depth. F/5.6.

I also used my macro lens on some scenes that weren't conventional wildflower shots. Here's a view of willow catkins, with the Green River in the background. I'm not good at identifying willows from their catkins, but I'd guess that this is Sitka willow (Salix sitchensis) based on other pictures that I've seen. F/9.

Next, new growth on a salmonberry plant, with the mossy forest in the background. F/11.

Finally, raindrops on some new growth on the forest floor; I'm not sure what plant this is. F/5.

Can you tell that I love spring?

Starting Spring Properly

Over the weekend, I hiked to Goose Rock in Deception Pass State Park, a reliable place to see wildflowers throughout the spring. The summit was windy and cold, but conditions were good otherwise, and I had some success with wildflower closeups in more sheltered places. I tried my hand at a couple landscapes as well, but they ended up rather pale and uninteresting. I've had this problem at Deception Pass before when taking landscape shots of the coastal environment. Why? It's not like Deception Pass is a pale or colorless place; far from it. I think it's because I tend to visit Deception Pass on cloudy spring days. While overcast conditions are ideal for wildflower photography, they make for a washed-out and uninteresting sky - ditto for the reflections from the water. Perhaps it'd be worth making a separate visit to the area, closer to sunrise or sunset on a blue-sky day, for landscape photography.

Anyway, here is my favorite: red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), with leaves and lichen in the background. F/5.6.

Next, small-flowered blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora), with moss and grass visible in the background. F/5.6. I tried this at a wider aperture for a narrower depth of field, but the grass shapes weren't clear enough, and I wasn't happy with the focus point.

Sunshine at Skookum Flats

On Saturday, I hiked the Skookum Flats trail, an off-season favorite near Enumclaw that I've hiked several times now. It has old trees and river views, and it never feels crowded. It parallels the highway, which is on the opposite side of the White River, but the river's sound usually drowns out traffic noise. Skookum Flats was actually my Plan C for the day. The first hike I tried, Greenwater Lakes, had an access road that was too snowy and icy for my skill level. The second, Snoquera Falls, had a parking lot so crowded that there was absolutely nowhere to park. I didn't want to wait around for a spot to open, or risk parking somewhere I shouldn't, so I headed to Skookum Flats. Since this trail is through forest, and I was getting a late start (for me) on a sunny day, I wasn't thrilled about my photography prospects. As it turned out, I found a surprisingly good number of subjects to photograph.

First, my favorite image of the day: Skookum Falls from the trail, with a mossy tree in the foreground. The sunlit highlights did end up a bit bright, but since the waterfall itself was shaded, I was able to expose for it correctly. Because the waterfall is the main visual point of interest, the image still works overall, I think. F/18, 1.3 seconds.

Next, the White River from beyond the falls. F/18, 1/8 of a second. I would have liked a longer shutter speed for more motion blur in the water, but that was the best I could manage in the bright sunshine.

Here's a horizontal version of the above composition. I like the vertical better, but thought I would include both for comparison. F/18, 1/8 of a second.

Next, a view of the White River from nearer the trailhead, up on a bluff. The reddish-orange plant at lower right is Oregon grape, and I like the pop of color it creates. F/18.

I also tried my hand at a couple closeups. First, some lichen, with a mossy tree in the background. I tried and tried to figure out a way to make the composition adhere more faithfully to the rule of thirds, but this was the best I could manage. F/5.6.

Finally, red alder catkins, with the White River in the background. I like how well the river and gravel bank come through, without making the image too busy. Even more distant is some remaining snow, which I thought would add some additional seasonal context, but it's not really discernible at this depth of field. F/7.1.

It's fitting that I ended with a picture of catkins; spring, my favorite season, is just around the corner! Stay tuned!

Along the Carbon River

On Sunday, I visited the Carbon River area of Mount Rainier National Park. The area had just reopened after a closure since November, when heavy rainfall washed out a bit of the access road. The Carbon River hike follows a former road that has been closed for years due to the volatility of the river, with a variety of additional hikes (including, most notably, the trail to Green Lake) accessible along the way. I've been to Green Lake before; so, while that's a worthy destination that I'd like to return to at some point, I decided instead to continue up the valley on the former road. As old-road hikes go, it's a good one; there are plenty of old-growth trees the whole way, and as you progress upstream, the views of the river and surrounding peaks improve.

First, the lush old-growth forest along the former road. Forest landscape shots on sunny days are difficult. Usually, the contrast between sunlit and shaded areas is too high, leading to overexposed highlights. This was a challenge on Sunday. Furthermore, when I found landscapes that were fully shaded, the relative darkness necessitated very long exposure times, and even the slightest movement of air caused branches to blur. The image below is more subject to the first challenge - overexposed highlights. The area these highlights cover is limited enough to look intentional, though, and they create an early-morning feel, so I think the image works. F/14.

Next, a view up the Carbon River near the turnoff to Chenuis Falls. After this, I tried a composition closer to the river. It had an even better sense of depth, and I liked how the river occupied more of the frame. Unfortunately, I didn't shield the lens adequately from sun glare, and a lens flare was visible. In sunny conditions like this, it can be tricky to see the camera's display and check for things like that in the field. The wood in the foreground isn't super interesting, but it's better than plain rocks, I think. F/16, 1/13 of a second.