Nooksack Gravel Bar
Here are a few photos I took today from a gravel bar along the North Fork Nooksack River….
Edmonds Art Show 2010
I found out this week that my photo “Standouts” was accepted into the Juried Art Exhibit at this year’s Edmonds Art Show. The show runs June 18th – 20th so if your in the area, stop by. It’s free and there’s plenty to see!..
Spring is here
For me, the official end to winter comes with the closing of the Mount Baker Ski Area at the last weekend of April. Of course, finishing winter with fresh powder and no lift lines is somewhat cruel but it’s also a fine way to end a season. The month of May could shape up to be very busy for me since I have a number of photography ideas to pursue. It all (hopefully) starts next weekend!
Going Green Again
Another foolish weekend in the rain down at Mount Rainier National Park and along the Carbon River valley. I had some regret for NOT taking a particular shot last week so I decided to head back down to get it. Once again, the weather was steady rain and a complete challenge to keep my camera & lenses moisture free.
This was the shot I noticed last week:
I also took advantage of the hike in to explore the old growth forest:
Green Lake
My first visit to Washington State was in the summer of 1992 and I spent a week with my best friend staying with his aunt and uncle. His uncle took us out on a few tourist type outings down to Mount Saint Helens and to Mount Rainier National Park. I was in awe of everything I saw but what left a lasting impression on me was a simple hike to Green Lake in the northwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park. I can’t explain it but the stillness and peace of the setting has always been something I’ve looked forward to. Now that I live here, the opportunity to visit Green Lake in a winter setting is really special to me.
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Back in 1992, accessing Green lake was pretty easy. The trailhead lies at the side of the road halfway between the Carbon River Park Entrance and the end of the road at Ipsuit Creek Campground. Flooding in the late 1990s changed all of this and sadly, the road can no longer be driven (and most likely will never be repaired). What used to be a 1.8 mile hike is now requires a 3 mile hike along the road just to reach the trailhead. The extra hike along the road makes this a long day but the flip side is that it allows you to enjoy the temperate old growth forest that would normally blur past you while driving the road.
On this particular outing, I expected rain and hoped for snow at the lake (both of which I got). I also enjoyed the entire day in solitude. At the lake, the weather was steady light rain with some brief sleet. After 2 1/2 hours of hiking in the rain, I was saturated and slightly chilled so I was not able to stay as long as I would have liked. After some quick pictures and lunch, I was headed back and trying to take photos of all the things I made a mental note of. I’ll have to make a return trip just to explore the forest along the road..
In the Clouds
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..
Mount Shuksan
While warmer temperatures descended across Western Washington, the weather in the mountains still had the look of winter. Despite the sunshine, a steady conveyor belt of clouds streamed across the upper slopes and summit of Mount Shuksan..
On my way home, I stopped to re-shoot this scene of a young fir growing at the foot of an old growth cedar. I shot this scene earlier this winter but snow actually detracted from the composition. I shot this slightly underexposed for the mood and since it helps define the shape of the cedar. I did some minor burning to the extreme righthand side since it was a tad too light in the original photo:
Lastly, sometimes old ski lift chairs find a new use…
Paradise
Earlier in the week, one of the Seattle weathermen indicated the possibility that sunsets later in the week might be enhanced due to ash from Alaska’s Mount Redoubt. As the weekend approached, the odds for sunny weather increased greatly so I made plans to head to the snow covered meadows of Paradise in Mount Rainier National Park. Fresh snow still flocked the trees and the sunshine make for one spectacular scene.
Although I had no specific place in mind, I snowshoed out towards the Edith Creek basin. Although winds were forecasted, they turned out to be much stronger than I thought they would be. Despite the sunshine, the winds were unrelenting so I retreated to find another vantage point for sunset. In the end, sunset didn’t live up to its potential but still delivered on a fine day…
Marten Creek
This weekend I picked up the Pentax 12-24mm ultrawide lens and so I had to go out and break it in. The weekend brought another storm system so I decided to head up the Mountain Loop Highway outside the town of Granite Falls and revisit Marten Creek. I hiked this last winter but reasons I can’t explain, I never took any photos. As I looked back on it, I remembered that there were some nice stretches along the creek so back I went.
While not a long hike, it does have a steep beginning and along the way, you pass through an ongoing research plot that the Forest Service monitors:
The study evaluates the correlation of Douglas Fir growth based on seed sources taken from across the Pacific Northwest. There is a second sign nearby which summarizes what they learned back in 1960. The steepness continues for a bit further and then relents as you enter the upper valley. At that point, exploration of the creek is possible…
All in all, a nice afternoon of photo taking despite the steady rain/sleet.
The Snowy Nooksack River
You’d be hard pressed to convince many Washingtonians that this weekend’s storm was probably the last “lowland” snow event of the winter. I was excited because it was one last opportunity this winter to photograph Nooksack Falls with a fresh coat of snow.
I also wanted to experiment with another piece of equipment- a 6′ aluminum ladder. Funny as it may seem, I’ve thought about possibly getting different angles or compositions with the assistance of the ladder. So- I carried the ladder the half mile or so from the Mt Baker Hwy to the falls.
While the fresh snow seemed promising, the actual amount at the falls wasn’t. I had hoped for 2-3″ or so to really provide a nice coat for the trees and rocks but the overnight snowfall amount was more like 1″. I had been at the falls for about 15 minutes or so when it started snowing. Hard. *VERY* difficult conditions to take photos when the snow is blowing into and on your lenses. I’m very thankful that Pentax includes weather seals with their DSLR cameras (for a fraction of the Canikon prices)!
Lastly, I checked another part of the river I’ve been meaning to that also had a horseshoe bend:
