Canada Part 2: Beaches

As mentioned in the last post, before Campbell River, we stayed in Port Renfrew on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, also for four nights. A big scenic draw in that area is the abundance of beaches. We visited Botanical Beach, China Beach, and Mystic Beach, all of which are located on or near the long Juan de Fuca Trail, which we saw a few people backpacking. We visited Botanical Beach first, and continued hiking along the Juan de Fuca Trail that day. Conditions were surprisingly rough, with thick brush, roots, broken staircases in steep sections, and other obstacles. We tired of this rather quickly and turned around before lunchtime. Following this experience, we hiked to China and Mystic Beaches as out-and-back hikes without any additional exploring on the Juan de Fuca Trail.

First, a view of Botanical Beach, which has wide stretches of sand, rocks, tidepools, and other interesting features. It's a lovely place, and was surprisingly empty early in the morning. F/14.

Next, China Beach, surrounded by lush and colorful bluffs. F/16.

At Mystic Beach, there was a mini-waterfall coming off one of the bluffs. This shot was tricky; it was hard to avoid the waterfall getting lost against the rather bright background of the bluff. F/18, 0.4 seconds.

Here's a view of China Beach with more of the water visible. As always with shots like this one, I was thankful for the capabilities of digital photography - I was able to take numerous exposures at different points of wave motion and choose the best after the fact. I liked the one below because the water was covering a large portion of the beach. F/18, 0.4 seconds.

Next, some interesting rocks from one of the beaches along the Juan de Fuca Trail, a bit past Botanical Beach. F/16.

Even though the beaches were the scenic highlight of the area, there were some nice woods as well, including a handful of old-growth trees. Below, a scene from the Juan de Fuca trail past Botanical Beach. F/16.

Finally, a Sitka spruce along China Beach. F/14.

That's all for the Vancouver Island trip. I've been sticking closer to home to rest and avoid the heat, but hopefully will be back to posting Washington pictures soon!

Canada Part 1: Campbell River

I recently returned from my honeymoon on Vancouver Island, and of course I brought the ol' camera along on our hikes! We spent most of our time in two locations, Port Renfrew on the southwest side and Campbell River on the east (four nights in each). I'll be blogging in reverse order, focusing in this post on our time in Campbell River, which was our final destination.

Our one hike in the island's mountains was to Lake Helen MacKenzie, in the Forbidden Plateau area of Strathcona Provincial Park. Despite the area's intimidating name, it was some of the easiest mountain hiking I've done. The hike to Helen MacKenzie is mostly on boardwalk or wide trail with very gentle elevation changes - a perfect fit for the hot, sunny weather.

Below, Lake Helen Mackenzie in morning sunshine. My first instinct was to reduce the effect of the polarizing filter a bit, to get a more uniform sky color and preserve more of the reflection on the water's surface. The water was so clear, though, that I decided instead to polarize more so that the rocks under the water are more visible. The sky is more uneven that way - you can see that it's pretty dark at the upper right - but I honestly don't really mind. F/16.

I didn't see a lot of wildflowers blooming, but I did find a few nice patches of what looks like white rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum). The flowers are a bit small in the composition, but I think they'd look better at print size. F/16.

Finally, a pond on the way to Lake Helen Mackenzie. I like the look of the reflection, but am less thrilled with the highlights - they seem a little harsh, even after editing. F/16.

While in Campbell River, we also visited the Chinese Mountains trail on Quadra Island, and hiked to the South Peak. It's a short loop - less than 3 miles in length - but very steep and rough, so it was more taxing than the distance had led us to expect. The panoramic views from the top are worth the exertion, though. F/18.

Thankfully, there were a few nice viewpoints on the way up that gave us an excuse to catch our breath. F/14.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my trip to Vancouver Island, which will include pictures from the fabulous beaches near Port Renfrew!

July Odds and Ends

I'm behind on blogging, so I'm going to condense a couple trips from July into one post. First, I hiked some of the PCT north of Snoqualmie Pass, toward the Kendall Katwalk (I didn't make it that far - there was an area of winter damage prior to the Katwalk, and I like to hike slowly for photography anyway). 

My favorite image from the hike is this one of Red Mountain just as the morning clouds were dissipating. My timing was just right, and I didn't need to wait long at all for the clouds to do what I wanted them to do. If I had arrived any later, the cloud layer would have been higher, making this composition quite a bit less interesting. F/16.

Here's an image of a nearby mountain from the same time and vantage point. At the time, I thought the symmetry would be appealing, but I think it's less striking than the image above. F/16.

Next, a closeup of some sort of currant or gooseberry (genus Ribes). I don't have it quite narrowed down to the exact species yet. My best guess is trailing black currant (Ribes laxiflorum). F/6.3.

Here's a fun picture of a small falls along the trail. I've photographed this view before, in late fall with a bit of early snow (last photo in this post). It certainly has a different character in the summer! I like the spiky wildflower clusters in the foreground. F/16, 1/6 of a second.

Next, a couple wildflower shots from a trip I took to the Perry Creek trail. First, thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus). I took this under blue skies early in the morning, and it shows in the cool color cast. Were I to frame this image, I'd probably edge the white balance even warmer (being able to fine-tune white balance after the fact is one of the best parts of shooting in RAW format). F/5.6.

Finally, a wild rose of some sort. Looking at pictures, I'm guessing (but not positive) that it's a baldhip rose (Rosa gymnocarpa). F/5.6.

I just got back from a trip to Vancouver Island in Canada. Stay tuned for photos!

Goat Lake

In early July, I hiked to Goat Lake, one of my all-time favorite places, on a cool and cloudy day. In many cases, I am a fan of doing photography on overcast days due to the even lighting. At a place like Goat Lake, though, with its expansive mountain views, overcast lighting presents challenges of its own. A cloudy sky can look washed-out and overexposed, and avoiding the sky definitely limits possible compositions. I did have some luck, however, with floral, forest, and creek shots. The cool weather also made the final switchbacks uphill less taxing.

First, some thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) with the lake in the background. I realize that this one is similar in concept to one I took in 2020 (second image in this post), but horizontal and with a different flower. The colors of the pink salmonberry flower and blue sky in 2020's image are more striking, but in this year's composition, the flower is more prominent. F/8.

Next, a slightly wider shot of the lake. F/13.

I also managed a couple decent compositions of Elliott Creek. In this first one, I like the bright green of the background trees, and how it contrasts with the more shadowed trees in the foreground. F/16, 1.3 seconds.

Even though you don't see as much of the creek in this next one, I think the big trunk at right (and the two bunchberry flowers growing on it) help bring the composition together. F/16, 1.6 seconds.

Next, Pacific coralroot (Corallorhiza mertensiana). Because Pacific coralroot is a myco-heterotroph, it doesn't rely on photosynthesis for sustenance. Very dark spots under big trees, where other plants have a hard time thriving in the low sunlight, can be good places to try to spot coralroot. It was in one such location that I saw these. F/5.6.

Lastly, the lush green forest of the farther reaches of the trail (after the Upper and Lower trails join). F/16.

That's all for now. Next up, some odds and ends from a couple other photography trips in July...and after that, pictures from Canada!

Cooper River

A couple weeks ago, I camped at the Salmon La Sac Campground and got an early start on the Cooper River trail. It's a pleasant forest walk with occasional (but very nice) river views, which I last visited at the same time of year in 2019.

By walking a short distance beyond the end of the Cooper River trail, you can also reach Cooper Lake. I didn't make it to the lake last time, and I'm not sure why. Maybe I was in a hurry? At any rate, I visited it this time, and it didn't disappoint. I was able to find a secluded spot to set up the tripod and have lunch. Getting a shot took a little work - an abandoned football was stuck in the marsh, ruining my first composition. (It wouldn't have been practical to use the heal/clone feature, and I try not to do that, anyway). Thankfully, since I noticed while I was there, I was able to frame this composition with the leaves obscuring it. F/14.

Next, a view of the river from a lovely spot about two-thirds of the way down the trail. I used a wide-angle lens and set up the tripod at a low height to make the water feel closer. F/16, 1/8 of a second.

Here's a vertical version of the same vantage point. I like the addition of the rocks at the bottom. F/16, 1/8 of a second.

Next, an early-morning view of the Cooper River nearer the trailhead. I liked the way the light was hitting the trees. F/16, 0.8 seconds.

Below, another early-morning view of the river. F/16, 1 second.

Another highlight of the Cooper River trail is the wildflowers. There aren't any big meadows or anything, but there's a pleasant variety throughout. (Last time, I found candystick, a cool-looking myco-heterotroph.) Pictured here are paintbrush, with lupine in the background. I'm guessing these are harsh paintbrush (Castilleja hispida). F/5.

Next, a forest scene that caught my eye. F/16.

Finally, a rare open view from the Cooper River trail. I took this in the nick of time, just before a work party arrived and started throwing up dust! I'm not complaining - it's necessary work - I'm just happy that the timing worked out. F/16.

The Hidden Worlds of Perry Creek

Yesterday, I hiked one of my favorite trails, the Perry Creek trail off the Mountain Loop Highway. Conditions were challenging for landscapes, as winds and lighting were both unpredictable. Although I did manage landscapes that took advantage of that changing light - more on that in a moment - my favorite images of the day were closeups of plants and foliage that I hadn't noticed before, or that I saw in a new way. I think my early difficulties with landscapes forced me to notice smaller-scale scenes that, in an environment like Perry Creek, I usually pass by.

First, a new flower for me - spotted saxifrage (Saxifraga austromontana). The small flowers looked simply white or off-white from above, but a close inspection revealed some very interesting orange and red spots. There's a bit of empty space in this composition that I'm not thrilled about, but I'm still very happy that I found these flowers. F/6.3.

Next, the colorful foliage of a stonecrop (genus Sedum). My best guess is that it's Oregon stonecrop (Sedum oreganum); that's the closest match from other photos I've seen, and there's documentation of Oregon stonecrop in the Perry Creek area. F/5.6.

Here's another wildflower, Fendler's waterleaf (Hydrophyllum fendleri), F/5.6.

Next, one I've photographed before, red columbine (Aquilegia formosa). It's uncommon to see one of these flowers turned up like this instead of hanging down, so I wanted to capture that new perspective. F/5.6.

As promised, there were some landscapes as well. Here's the classic view down the Perry Creek valley toward Hall Peak (obscured by clouds). The rapidly changing sunlight was tricky to expose for, but I like the way it looks in the final image. The color contrast with the rock is also fun. F/16.

Next, one of the many waterfalls coming down the valley walls, with lush maples providing the setting. F/16.

Finally, the colorful seeds of vine maple (Acer circinatum), with another waterfall in the background. I would have liked the seeds to be a bit more prominent in the composition, but the vivid red helps them stand out, at least. F/8.

Spring at Ohanapecosh

A few weeks ago, I visited the Silver Falls area of Mount Rainier National Park, near Ohanapecosh and the Grove of the Patriarchs. I haven't really been able to get to the images until now (or go on another hike since then), because it's been a very busy June, with a move and other things on my plate (all the rain hasn't helped, either). Hopefully, with the weather straightening itself out and my life calming down ever so slightly, I'll be able to get back into the swing of hiking and photography.

Silver Falls

Despite the relatively even overcast lighting, I had some trouble getting the exposure right in my waterfall shots, with the waterfall ending up much brighter than the surroundings. Ultimately, I had to rely on brightening the shadows and darkening the highlights quite a bit in Lightroom to make the images work. Contrast this high takes a toll on image quality, but most of my shots turned out better than I had expected. First, my favorite composition of the falls. F/16, 1/4 of a second.

Next, a view of the river just above the falls. I like how colorful this composition is - the reddish driftwood, yellow-green moss, and blue water contrast with each other very well. F/18, 1/2 of a second.

Lastly, two more views of the falls. Both F/16, 1/3 and 1/5 of a second, respectively.

Eastside Trail

I also crossed the road to hike a bit of the Eastside Trail. The main attraction of the trail from this direction is the access to the Grove of the Patriarchs, but that's been closed since a flood damaged the bridge last fall. Since the main Eastside Trail was still open, I decided I would just hike that as far as I wished. The trail past the Grove turnoff was enjoyable and, I think, worthy of a return visit. There's a particularly fun section where the trail ascends an open slope, with views down to the colorful Ohanapecosh River through vine maples and mossy rocks. I had been expecting more dark, dense forest, so this change of scenery was a pleasant surprise. Here's a view from this spot. F/16.

The vine maples (Acer circinatum) were in full bloom; below is a closeup of some of those flowers. F/7.1.

Next, a view of the Ohanapecosh River near the trailhead. I took a picture from the same riverbank in 2019 (fifth image in this post), but wasn't satisfied with the sense of depth. This time, I set the tripod at a lower height, making the river appear closer, and showing more of the water's texture. For these reasons, I think this year's version was more successful. F/11, 1/13 of a second.

Here's another view of the Ohanapecosh River, with abundant spring foliage in the foreground. F/16, 0.4 seconds.

Finally, some colorful old-growth trunks. F/16.

That's it for now - hopefully, my next hike (and next post) will come soon. Enjoy the sunshine, everyone!