Steve Cole Photography

Pacific Northwest Landscape / Nature Photography

Mount Baker

Sulphide sunset

Mar 08

Two weeks ago, I spied some photos from a backcountry trip report from Boulder Ridge on Mount Baker which had the most amazing runnels I had ever seen. Life forced me to change my plans last weekend so I tried my luck this weekend. This winter’s non-winter made this hike a late fall hike instead of a deeply committing winter expedition. Under sunny skies, I headed out along the trail and made steady progress through the forest. The trail was virtually snow-free until the very end (hard to take in since normally there would be SEVERAL feet of snow at this location).

The last visitor’s were most likely the party of backcountry skiers from 2 weeks ago. The trail finally disappeared under the snowpack towards the end and I became weary of continuing. The previous tracks in the snow were faded and hard to follow so. Without the confidence that I could navigate back safely in the dark, I decided to turn around while there was ample light. The decision was disheartening since I know I was only a couple hundred yards from open terrain but it was the right decision.

I still had enough time to make it back to the trailhead and the road which had a nice vantage of Mount Shuksan’s Sulphide Glacier face as well as views of Mount Bacon and Blum. Without further ado, here’s lemonaide from lemons..

Kuhlsan Ridge

Feb 22

Another high pressure system brought clear, sunny skies for the weekend. It’s been awhile since I’ve shot a sunset so I decided to set up on Kuhlsan Ridge near the Mount Baker Ski Area for the evening’s show. Time got away from me during the day so I was running a bit behind schedule when I donned my snowshoes for the hike up to Artist Point. I topped out at Artist Point during the “golden hour” so I didn’t have much time to find a location with an interesting foreground.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky so the light reflecting off of Mount Shuksan held most of my interest. not the best sunset I’ve shot but the solitude of witnessing it was very rewarding..

Top 10 of 2009

Dec 16

On one of the photography forums that I frequent, someone posted their “top ten” images for 2009. I thought that was a great idea so, in honor of the first full year of my blog, I went through my images and selected my top ten. It was very hard since I had such a tremendous year of growth thanks in part to this blog. So- in no particular order, here are my top ten images for 2009….

1. Autumnal Sunset – Mount Rainier National Park

Taken from the Tolmie Peak lookout, the warm light of sunset really stands out making this a “classic” Mount Rainier photo for me.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

2. Horseshoe Bend – North Fork Nooksack River Valley

This panorama was the payoff of exploration. I’ve been interested in finding someplace where I could create a panorama centered on a horseshoe bend of the river in a snowy scene. My first attempt wasn’t quite to my liking but I happened to stumble across this location which turned out to be very accessible.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

3. Park Glacier Icefall

This shot was just a quick one while I waited for some cloud cover to lift from the summit of Mount Baker. Over time, this photo has really grown on me and I think a great example of how telephoto zooms are beneficial in landscape photography.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

4. Deception Creek Panorama

Beautiful is a word that comes to mind for me with this photo. This photo was taken at my first stop on this particular outing. It wasn’t until I got home and pieced the panorama together when this scene’s impact really became apparent. When I now look at this photo, I’m really drawn into the movement of the creek as well as its expanse across the entire image.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

5. Trees in Threes – Mount Rainier National Park

Taken on a wet morning on Mazama Ridge, this is another example of a photo that really struck a chord after processing it back home. For me, the photo has a lot going for it- a variety of wildflowers in the foreground and a repeating sequence of trees which eventually fade into the mist and fog of the background. I’m very proud of this image.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

6. Inside Out – Mount Rainier National Park

I had been on a mission to find a better representation of this perspective. My previous attempts, while successful, looked out at a largely uninteresting forest. I happened to spy this log downhill off trail and knew that this was the one. I thought the jagged appearance of the opening added interest while the stump located just upslope ties the foreground to the background. This photo was physically a challenge to take since it did require crawing into the hollowed out portion of the log to gain this perspective. Now add in steady rain and things got even more difficult.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

7. Winter’s Frost

I took this photo along side a creek in a cold pocket. The shaded area facilitated the development of this frost but the steep sideslope made taking the photo a bit challenging. I just love the pattern of frost and fir needles.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

8. Wrapped in Fall

This is another shot composed with the aid of a telephoto zoom. I shot a series of photos trying different compositions and really loved the contrast between the vibrant oranges and the darker, muted tones of the trunk of the tree.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

9. Cougar Divide

I remember this outing very much, primarilly due to my disappointment in this day’s sunset (or lack of one). The oranges and reds of sunset never made their way towards Mount Baker on this afternoon since a storm system seemed to move in quicker than forecasted. Still, I shot what was presented and this image really struck me and a beautiful combination of foreground, sky, and mountain.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

10. No Better Time – Mount Rainier National Park

Taken during my first visit to Mazama Ridge, this small pocket of widlflowers in prime bloom seems to have a nice flow across the image, anchored by the False Hellebore on the left side of the frame. A very pleasing image for me.

More photos from this trip can be found in my blog post here.

Thank you for visiting throughout this past year and I look forward to more posts and photos during the upcoming year! Seasons Greetings!

Winter’s return

Oct 04

Earlier in the week, winter returned to the mountains. At Artist Point near the Mount Baker Ski Area, 4″ of snow fell. My highly anticipated Lee Graduated ND filters also came this week after a lengthy production delay so I was eager to get out and try them. The unsettled weather from the week was forecasted to spill over into Saturday but, as Saturday morning developed, the weather looked MUCH more promising than the forecasts so I decided to roll the dice and head out for sunset.

My destination would be the Bagley Lakes area of Heather Meadows. I wanted to find out how the fall color was developing in the Nooksack River valley (it’s about 2 weeks off) but I was also hoping to include the new snow as part of my compositions. A beautiful fall afternoon followed me and seeing most of Mount Baker from the outskirts of Glacier was a good sign. These first snows of the season also brought the closure of the Mount Baker Highway at the ski area so my hike would be starting from the ski area.

Photographers of all abilities head to Heather Meadows, primarilly to capture their own version of the famous photo of Mount Shuksan and Picture Lake. Today was no exception and both visitors and photographers were scattered all over the trails around Heather Meadows. For me, I wanted a bit more solitude and less crowds so I opted for a slight cardio workout and made my destination the saddle that divides the Bagley Lakes basin and the Chain Lakes basin.

From the ski area parking lot, this amounted to a 2.1 mile hike with about 1,300′ of elevation to gain. Although I’ve been here too many times to count, I’ve never explored this trail. Almost from the start, I realized there were many, many interesting compositions. I’ll have to return next summer during the peak of wildflowers. The trail starts by paralleling Bagley Creek for a half mile or so.

Upon reaching Upper Bagley Lake, the trail winds around the base of Mount Herman and the elevation gain begins…

After some switchbacks, the views get bigger and the saddle comes into view. The upper basin is notable for the high concentration of volcanic rock. There’s still a couple hundred feet of elevation gain and it’s accomplished by a few, drawn out switchbacks.

The snow deepened before the saddle but was no more than 2-3″ deep. From the saddle, the race was on to find compositions for both Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. I felt it was just a bit too far to drop down to the Chain Lakes (although it did look interesting!). After deciding on a location, the show began. This sunset easily surpassed last week’s sunset and was one of the better ones I’ve been able to photograph in a while.

Alpenglow was present and strong and the scattered cloudcover kept providing highlights to the changing light. It spectacular but made it chaotic because I rapidly kept changing positions to photograph Mount Baker to the south and Mount Shuksan to the north. Sunset passed and just about the moment I decided to pack my gear, a full moon broke through the building clouds to the north. I decided to snap only a few quick shots since I still had a ways to hike out with wet & icy conditions. About an hour later, I was back safe and sound in the parking lot. I was so glad that I rolled the dice for this outing!

Sunset from Anderson Butte

Sep 28

View Larger Map in New Window
This past weekend brought one last “summer”-esque pattern of weather so I decided to find someplace to go for sunset. After researching some options, I decided to head out for Anderson Butte, which is located just along the perimeter of the Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness in the vicinity of Baker Lake. The site of a former fire lookout, it’s accessed via a spur trail off of the main trail that travels to Watson and Anderson Lakes. The trailhead is located above 4,000 feet so you’re already treated to great views of the Baker Lake valley and Mount Baker.

The trailhead is located high on a ridge along the east bank of Baker Lake. It’s accessed by crossing the Baker Lake Dam and heading up the Forest Service road 12 miles. From the trailhead, it’s a short mile through the forest brings you to a small meadow within a ravine and the junction for the Anderson Butte Trail. Although the wildflower season was long over, the huckleberries were in absolutely prime conditions and located everywhere. I had arrived early to the area so that I could make some quick sidetrips to check out the lakes in the area.

The Anderson Lakes were by far the more picture-esque lakes:

Another brief sidetrip to the Watson Lakes didn’t reveal too much so I turned around to make it up to Anderson Butte. The trail to the Butte starts out gently but has a short, steep stretch before joining the ridgeline below the lookout. The payoff is immediate and fantastic but just gets better when you finally reach the site of the former lookout. From this vantage point, the Cascades drop off all around you. Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan dominate the view but American Border Peak, Mount Rainier, the Olympics and Mount Redoubt are all visible as well.

On this day, patchy clouds drifted throughout the area which added interest during sunset. Unfortunately, Mount Baker remained mostly cloudy but it was still a fantastic sunset. This spot is truly a gem and I’ll be adding this into my annual rotation of destinations (if not more than once a year!).

Return to Cougar Divide

Aug 22

With my abbreviated trip earlier in the week, I decided to take advantage of it by heading back to Cougar Divide to wait for sunset. I thought the coming low pressure system might bring in some clouds to add some flavor and interest for sunset. The pending storm system actually traveled quicker than I had expected and left me with mostly gray skies for sunset. I had the entire ridge to myself this evening with the notable exception of mosquitoes. I was somewhat surprised to discover that the bugs on Cougar Divide were just as ferocious this evening as they were during my last visit several weeks ago. This is definitely one of the buggiest locations I’ve visited here in the Pacific Northwest..

Cougar Divide

Jul 27

What’s worse than forgetting your camera?

Forgetting the memory card AND bringing the camera. Such is the reality I dealt myself this weekend as I arrived at the trail to Cougar Divide. More on that later..

This trail lies at the end of Wells Creek Road at about 5,000 feet and is only accessible for 4 short months of the year. I use the term accessible loosely because the road receives little to no maintenance (particularly after the bridge over Wells Creek). Still, as of this writing, the trailhead is still accessible with only one stretch of road that could unnerve the average driver or someone in a full size pickup.

Only one other car at the trailhead but TONS of mosquitos which should have been my first omen. I had sunscreen but no bug juice. Somewhat annoying but how bad could it be? Uh, BAD. Just 15 minutes in on the trail brings you to a viewpoint which would make any other hike worth it:

In this open subalpine forest, there are many interesting geological features:

After a brief open stretch the trail plunges back into forest before reaching meadows. On this particular day, however, my journey ended here in the woods:

Taking that three photo panorama resulted in my legs being devoured by mosquitos. Given the fact that I couldn’t use my primary camera, I decided to turn around and save the rest of this hike for an upcomming weekend. So what do you do when you can’t use your camera? In my case, I decided to press on and use my iPhone 3GS so every photo from this blog post is an iPhone photo. I thought it didn’t do that bad a job, though I did lighten the photos up in Photoshop. Live and learn!..

Swift Creek

Jun 16

This past weekend brought more exploration but closer to home. No doubt photographers in the Pacific Northwest are familiar with the Waterfalls of the Northwest website. While looking through the database of waterfalls, I was drawn into a listing for Rainbow Falls in the vicinity of Mount Baker. It’s described as having a 150 foot drop but also very hard to see due to the deeply incised canyon it empties into. I’ve looked over the topo maps and decided to try and access the falls via the canyon floor by following Rainbow Creek upstream.

The area is accessed by a little used trail- the Swift Creek trail. Long ago, this was the route used to reach Heather Meadows (now the site of the Mount Baker Ski Area) from the Baker Lake region. These days the trail is slowly returning to nature- only the first 2 miles or so receive any maintenance (and its been a few years since the last trail work). It’s a short hike down to Rainbow Creek from the trailhead. The Swift Creek Trail crosses the creek over a very primative log bridge that’s probably not for the faint of heart:

From this point, Rainbow Falls is a half mile upstream to the left. In theory. Last fall, I attempted to follow the creek upstream but chose to cross the creek and then follow the far bank. I made it slightly less than halfway before getting cliffed out. This time, I chose to follow the near bank but this also led to the same conclusion- cliffed out. I can say definitively that it’s not possible to reach the falls from the canyon bottom.

With my primary objective out of reach, I decided to cross the creek via the log bridge and head up the Swift Creek trail. This trail is a hidden gem which affords the hike with some quality traits: a lush & diverse forest and solitude. So much solitude that I started to think about bears. The last thing I wanted to do was surprise a bear on the trail so I constantly made noise by banging my trekking poles together.

Following the crossing of Rainbow Creek, the trail heads gently up valley before a brief series of switchbacks that place you into an upper bench of the Swift Creek valley. At this point, some huge cedars are passed alongside the trail:

Since the trail has not received much maintenance, there are some areas of blowdown to negotiate. As I drew closer to Swift Creek, I came across a black bear’s track in the mud:

Two miles in, Swift Creek is reached. It’s unclear to me what this crossing used to be like- a bridge? A cable car? In either case, there’s no good way to cross (especially when the creek runs high such as on this day). Even without continuing further, there’s still a lot to see and appreciate..

In the Clouds

Apr 26

As the ski season officially comes to a close at Mount Baker, the weather still stubbornly remains “winter”-esque. A pleasant sun filled morning gradually gave way to increasing clouds as the weekend’s storm system started to make its way into the region. I noticed the clouds building around Mount Baker so I hurried to get my camera gear and set up for some shots.

Ultimately what I wanted was a shot with clouds around the summit and sunshine beaming down on Coleman Pinnacle. This took some time for the sunbreaks to cooperate but in the meantime, I was treated to some dramatic periods of sunbreaks and clouds..

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