Castle Geyser |
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Castle Geyser in Yellowstone NP
Sunday, December 12, 2021
NEW! 2022 Wall Calendar!
I'm excited to announce that my NEW 2022 wall calendar is now available for purchase!
This is probably the calendar I have been most excited about in a long time. All new images from such fantastic places as Mount Rainier NP, Olympic NP, Grand Teton NP, Death Valley NP, Banff NP, Glen Canyon, Mount St. Helens NM, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, North Cascades, Oregon coast and more!
These images include many special trips that I hold dear to my heart and can't help but smile from the memories. I hope you will enjoy them too!
It's not too late to order this calendar as a Christmas gift (though I wouldn't wait much longer)! To order your own copy, please go to: Western Landscapes 2022 Wall Calendar (lulu.com)Saturday, May 1, 2021
Cherry Blossoms at University of Washington
In normal years on a nice sunny weekend day the crowds resemble those of a concert or football game! Television news cameras broadcast video from the air as helicopters capture images from above.
But this is not a normal year of course, due to the pandemic. To increase my chances of avoiding any crowds, I chose to go on a weekday, and arrive well before sunrise. This was a wise choice as I had the entire area to myself as I began clicking away. Soon another photographer showed up and then we were two for quite some time. When I left after a couple hours of shooting, their might have been a dozen total people in the area (not counting joggers or students passing thru). Everyone wore masks.The time of season for these beautiful trees to reach their peak bloom can vary. Typically, early April is their prime time. But I have seen them hit peak in late March some years, and closer to mid or late April other years.
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Monday, December 14, 2020
Western Landscapes 2021 Wall Calendar
You can purchase this calendar here! Right now you can save 15% by using the code WINTER15! This is only for a limited time!
I've been creating these calendars to share my travels for several years now, and the project just keeps getting more exciting for me each year.
In fact, it's hard to choose which images to include as I have so many favorites and keep building on them.Saturday, November 28, 2020
Golden Lakes Loop in Chelan Sawtooths
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Reflection in Upper Eagle Lake |
I must preface my story with the fact that I came directly from the Rainy Pass area along the North Cascades Highway, where trailhead parking lots were beyond full. Parked cars could be seen on both sides of the highway, stretching as far as a quarter mile away - on a weekday. It was crazy.
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Reflection in Upper Eagle Lake |
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Reflection in Upper Eagle Lake |
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Phone pic of Cooney Lake from a ridge high above |
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Reflection in Martin Lake |
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Reflection in Martin Lake |
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Reflection in Martin Lake |
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Fall in the North Cascades!
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Fall colors above Rainy Lake |
A visit to areas around Mt. Baker in mid-September will find the berry leaves on fire. Some of my favorite hikes for these are Boulder Ridge, Rainbow Ridge, Park Butte and Ptarmigan Ridge. I'm sure there are more!
As the month of September moves on, many more places begin to turn vibrant red throughout the range. By the end of the month, hikes near Rainy and Washington Pass along the North Cascades Highway (SR-20) become VERY popular destinations (too popular - go on a weekday and go early or late in the day).
The arrival of October sends most fall color enthusiasts into pandemonium! Not only are the reds still typically vibrant, the needles of larch begin to turn gold. Peak for the larch are typically close to mid-October. By the time they are truly at peak, much of the reds will have likely disappeared in my experience.
Larch are found on eastern side of the Cascades only, mostly (if not entirely) north of I-90. In the North Cascades, excellent places to view them are near Washington and Rainy Pass, as well as hikes reached from Winthrop, Twisp and Carlton.
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Fall colors below peaks of the North Cascades |
Of course every year can be slightly different on the timing, mostly based on temperatures and weather patterns. The amount of precipitation during the summer months can also play a huge factor on the quality of colors.
In my experience, the biggest challenge to viewing late season colors are the big white snowflakes! It can snow at any time in the upper elevations of the Cascades. But the North Cascades seem to be especially prone to it, and likely in early to mid-October. I have tried to revisit one of my favorite larch viewing backpacks on multiple occasions. While my first visit at peak time went off perfectly, all my subsequent attempts have ended in being turned back by deep snow or storms. So I've learned not to take anything for granted!
There are some things to be careful for during this time. First off, it is hunting season. So if you are visiting an area outside of North Cascades National Park, be sure to where bright clothes to be easily seen.
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Mount Shuksan Reflection |
Sunday, October 11, 2020
Bears!
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A mother black bear with her two cubs behind her. |
Being able to photograph bears takes the experience to an all new level. It also requires much more planning, preparation and heavier camera equipment than I would typically take on a hike. This is because larger lenses are required. I would say a minimum 300mm lens to be successful, but larger would be better.
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A bear cub reaches high up for berries on a bush. |
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A bear cub glances around its surroundings while nibbling on berries. |
Saturday, September 12, 2020
The Sawtooth Wilderness of Idaho
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Alice Lake Reflection. |
It was a nearly 10 hour drive from Seattle, with much of it on two-lane country and forest service roads to the small town of Stanley. It was a pretty crazy place at 3:00 in the afternoon, with gas station lines up to seven cars deep! I would highly recommend gassing up and securing your provisions along the way (elsewhere).
I arranged to meet Brian of Sawtooth Transportation at the Redfish Lake TH. There I would leave my vehicle and be shuttled by Brian to the Pettite Lake TH to begin my one-way backpack. Brian was awesome and I highly recommend his company if a shuttle is in your plans!
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Alice Lake Reflection. |
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Phone pic of Twin Lakes from Snowyside Pass. |
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Phone pic of Toxaway Lake from the trail to Sand Mountain Pass. |
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Phone pic at Sand Mountain Pass. |
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Upper Cramer Lake Reflection. |
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Upper Cramer Lake Reflection. |
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Morning light above Alpine Lake |
I soon packed up and hit the trail for Baron Lakes on the other side of the divide.
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Baron Lake reflection before sunrise. |
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Baron Lake Reflection. |
Monday, August 24, 2020
High Divide, Olympic National Park
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Mount Olympus above flower meadows on High Divide. |
For where I wanted to photograph on High Divide, Seven Lakes Basin was not optimum. But it beat descending with headlamp back to the car after evening photography!
I got an early 7:00 am start on the trail, after driving over from the Seattle area. The ascent went pretty quickly, and is incredibly scenic once above Deer Lake as one climbs and traverses through parkland meadows. Flowers were incredible, especially once gaining the ridge and traversing to the Seven Lakes Basin junction.
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Lunch Lake in Seven Lakes Basin. |
I spent most of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the sun. Around dinner time, I gathered my camera gear and headed up to the divide via the shortcut trail.
It was about 2 miles to my favorite flower meadow, pretty much overlooking Heart Lake. It would be a headlamp jaunt back to camp and I was prepared.
The evening was enjoyable as I watch the sun set, casting pink alpenglow on the mountain. Of course, this is followed with the Belt of Venus and the earth's shadow taking over the sky before the stars begin to appear.
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Mount Olympus above flower meadows on High Divide. |
Then it was a late dinner and bed, with an everlasting grin on my face from another fantastic evening experience.
You can view more of my images from Olympic NP in my Olympic Gallery.
As always, thanks for looking! Hope to see you on the trails!
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Flowers At Mount Rainier!
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Flower meadows along the Naches Peak loop at Mount Rainier National Park. |
At Mount Rainier, the flower show arrived a couple weeks ago in typical fashion - by beginning their tour on the east side of the park around Tipsoo Lake and Sunrise. While these areas are no longer in peak, others are! Try a hike up to Spray Park or Indian Henry's Hunting Ground or simply enjoy a short walk/hike around Paradise or Mazama Ridge. Now is the perfect time!
Please remember to be respectful of the meadows. The growing season is so short that even the lightest of tread can cause irreparable damage. As my kid's patches used to say (handed out by the National Park Service), "Don't Be A Flower Stomper!"
This year is even crazier than most. I spent a weekend morning at Sunrise photographing a couple weeks ago. When I arrived back at the parking lot shortly after 7 am, it was already full. By 8:30 am, the entrance was already closed and there were cars lined up for a quarter of a mile! (By comparison, I came up the very next day - a weekday, and it was quite the opposite). With this increase in traffic comes an increase of pressure on such fragile environments, which we all should be cognizant of.
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Flower meadows at Mount Rainier. |
Anyway, back to the flowers! Lupine, paintbrush, asters, common cow parsnip, false hellebore, and so much more! Or, maybe you know them as the red ones, purple ones, yellow ones - that's alright too! The importance is the enjoyment!
If you would like to see more images from this area, feel free to visit my Mount Rainier Gallery.
As always, thanks for looking!
Monday, August 17, 2020
The Crazy Year We Call 2020!
So, I thought I would take a moment to simply update you on what has/is happening in my life and move on from there.
Of course, the elephant in the room is COVID-19. I think this pandemic has changed the lives of just about everyone of us in a major way. So many things that we have taken for granted in our everyday lives are no longer such. We are living in different times now for sure.
On the home front, I have two teenage kids who I am extremely proud of. My daughter is a senior in high school and is spending most of her time applying to colleges. Our plan was to set time aside to go visit various campuses, but those times have passed. Now its virtual online tours. Sigh.
My son is a freshman in high school and just coming off ACL surgery. While doing so, he somehow found a way to break his Tibia while jumping into the air to try and dunk a basketball. I had never heard of such a thing. He has it all on video. His friend was documenting the moment. The result was immediate surgery to screw it back together. He is now enjoying the fun of rehab all over again. I suppose he couldn't have picked a better time with most select sports being cancelled.
Beside all these fatherly responsibilities, I have indeed been finding time to get out! I've enjoyed photography trips to Mount Rainier NP, Olympic NP and even the Sawtooth Wilderness in Idaho - my first venture into this fantastic mountain range! I also have many more adventures planned in the coming weeks.
I'm excited to be able to share all these magnificent trips with you in the coming days and weeks ahead.
I hope you are finding time to get out and staying safe as well.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
Kootenay National Park In Autumn
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Golden larch in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia |
The crown jewel of Kootenay National Park has to be Floe Lake beneath the backdrop of the magnificent Rockwall, especially as viewed from Numa Pass. It's a popular destination for backpackers and permits can be difficult to come by. But if one plans ahead, they are readily available and the rewards await.
Towards the end of September, the larch change into their glorious robe of gold, announcing the end of summer and the beginning of cooler days and chilly nights in the prelude to winter. It's a magical time to be in the mountains.
This image is not the classic image of the area, but does capture the beautiful color of the larches above Floe Lake. It currently is appearing in an editorial magazine in Taiwan.
If you wish to see more images from this area, you can view them in my Canadian Rockies Gallery. I hope to have these images and more loaded to my new website soon.
Thanks for looking!