Miller River

The End of Fall 2011

East Fork Miller River
East Fork Miller River
East Fork Miller River
East Fork Miller River
Based on last week, I knew peak color was probably past but I decided to head up the Highway 2 corridor to look for any lagging examples of color. The Miller River drainage was the destination this time since I’ve never visited it before. Below the West Fork / East Fork convergence, the valley is pretty much devoid of any color. Most leaves have fallen already. The West Fork Miller looks fabulous but is no longer drivable so I’ll have to hike it some other time.

The Miller River Road does continue up the East Fork valley pretty much all the way to the Lake Dorothy trailhead. Unlike the Money Creek valley, the road strays a little too far away from the river at times so scouting for scenes to photo take some work. The first bridge over the East Fork is a pretty neat area so we spent some time exploring both the upstream and downstream reaches.

Unnamed waterfall above the East Fork Miller River near Great Falls Creek
Fall color on Cascade Mountain
Fall color and Great Falls on Cascade Mountain
Fall color on Cascade Mountain
Above this bridge, there isn’t much to see for a mile or too until the Great Falls Creek area where there was a great display of fall color across the valley from the road. There are two waterfalls visible from this point of the road- Great Falls and a lesser, unnamed one a little further to the south. By this time of the day, the sunbreaks were becoming a bit more common. At the same time, clouds were still hugging the upper slopes of Cascade Mountain which created some great drama in the vicinity of that second waterfall.

Just a couple hundred yards before the Lake Dorothy trailhead, the river winds its way through a tight, slot type canyon. The entrance to this stretch of the river is a large talus / scree type slope with large mossy boulders. A few of them also had colorful lichen as well..

Fall Color on Cascade Mountain
Fall Color on Cascade Mountain
East Fork Miller River near the Lake Dorothy trailhead
East Fork Miller River near the Lake Dorothy trailhead
Rock wall along the East Fork Miller River
After a couple quick shots of these two snags located near the trailhead, he loaded back up and made a beeline back down to Highway 2 and then over to the Beckler River drainage. Again, conditions were largely spent out with a few solitary stretches of fading color. He headed north up to Jack Pass to investigate one of the side roads at the pass. Last year, a tremendous windfall blocked the road. The road was clear this time so we were able to keep going. This particular road doesn’t go anywhere in particular but it does afford you a great view down into the North Fork Skykomish River valley.

This week, the snow level is going to finally dip down to below 3,000 feet so winter is only a few weeks away. That sure was a quick fall!

East Fork Miller River
Snag near the Lake Dorothy trailhead, East Fork Miller River valley
Snag near the Lake Dorothy trailhead, East Fork Miller River valley
Old growth cedar and vine maples, Beckler River valley
Fungus on trunk, Beckler River valley

Money Creek

[NOTE: I need to clarify something since this post has been retweeted on Twitter- Money Creek is NOT within the Wild Sky Wilderness. My original plans for this day included exploring Lewis Creek which DOES extend into the Wild Sky Wilderness. Carry on!]

I spent the first day of the Memorial Day weekend scouting some new areas up the Highway 2 corridor. My original destination was Lewis Creek, just outside of the town of Index along Index-Galena Rd. Lewis Creek has a good gradient to it so I was hoping for some drops and cascades. A (gated) logging road provides some relatively quick access to the newly enacted Wild Sky Wilderness portion of the creek. I was disappointed to find the creek corridor to be pretty chaotic and too difficult so I cut my losses and looked to go someplace else.

I eventually decided on Money Creek, a valley somewhat off on its own without a major destination (the exception being Lake Elizabeth). I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised. The creek is more like a river and is full of rocks and boulders providing ample interest. The forest along the banks of the creek is generally pleasant and compliments the creek well. There never seems enough time in the day because of the way I work through a location so I was only able to explore two locations.

Money Creek detail
Money Creek in springtime
Like other photographers, there’s usually something that draws my attention to stop and photograph. Once I’ve worked through my possibilities with the original attraction, I usually sit down and study the surrounding environment. On this day, intermittent sunshine kept me waiting for the periods of more diffuse light of cloud cover. While waiting, I had plenty of time to look downstream and across to the opposite bank from my location. From there, I noticed these two trees across from me and the series of boulders in the creek.

Sunlit snag along Money Creek
Same snag along Money Creek minutes later while clouds obscured the sunlight
The first photo shows the scene with some direct sunlight which made the moss on the trees glow a little bit. Compare that scene with the second photo when the sun went behind some clouds. I liked this but I also noticed the moss on the rocks in the lower left of the frame. It’s a nice added touch but it doesn’t get the attention it needs in my previous composition. I wondered if I moved about 30 feet downstream, would that give me a better perspective that does include the moss?

Sam snag along Money Creek but viewed from 30 feet downstream of previous location
Indeed, the slight physical move does allow me to keep the same basic composition but add the bonus of the moss. This is the benefit from taking your time and really studying your surroundings. Just give yourself more time to see what’s there. Every time I drop my backpack to take a photo, I’m usually in the same location for AT LEAST 15 minutes. No one likes pulling out their gear and re-packing it constantly so why not make it worth it? This probably won’t won’t sit well with your friend/wife/girlfriend if they happen to join you on a photo outing but hopefully they’re understanding enough!

Money Creek wirlpool
Money Creek rock outcrop
Rain pool along Money Creek
The second location I stopped at was even more deserving due to the number of distinct scenes all within 30 yards of each other. I spent about 90 minutes examining this short stretch of the creek. For me, the first shot isn’t usually “the one”- it’s one of the subsequent shots. Take your time and really take in the surroundings. Isn’t that why you’re out there in the first place??

Rain pool along Money Creek
Cascade along Money Creek
Cascade along Money Creek
Cascading drops along Money Creek
Plunge pool along Money Creek
I think I’ll come back in another month to spend another full day of exploring. Despite an elevation of only around 1500 feet, several trees were still barely leafed out so I think conditions could get just a little better.

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