The PNW and Long Exposures

I have said it once and I will say it again…I love the Pacific Northwest!! There is so much to see here and if you’ve never been, whew…you’re missing out on a bunch! Let me see if I can tempt you into a trip here to see for yourself…let’s go!

So, starting in Northern Washington and ending in mid to Southern Oregon, are a group of mountains called The Cascades. You have the Northern, Central and Southern Cascades and to list every peak that is involved in that make-up of mountain ranges, well…that’s more research than I care to involve myself in.

But there are a few I will list here.

Probably the most infamous would be Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. Infamous from the perspective that it blew its top, literally, in 1980. Ash went everywhere for hundreds of miles in all directions, farther if you factor in the prevailing winds. But between then and now, Mother Nature has fixed things up nicely on that mountain and there are beautiful things to see, miles and miles of hiking trails, you can even hike to the top of the crater and peer into depths of Mt. St. Helens. But there is more than just the mountain.

Mt. St. Helens lies within the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest. There are allot of things to see and do within this NF, including going to Iron Creek Falls, near the town of Morton, Washington. It’s a flat, short and easy hike from where you park your car and when you arrive, it is truly one of the prettier, yet smaller, waterfalls this region has to offer. My wife and I arrived to this location on a very cloudy and overcast day. So for photographic purposes, this was a cake walk. I really had no use for and ND (Neutral Density) filter or a polarizing one either. Just closed my shutter pretty small, shot anywhere from 1/4 sec to 5 seconds, depending on the lens being used, and voila, a nice, velvety smooth motion blur of the water cascading down. Not easily seen from this vantage, but the larger of the 2 cascades actually arcs out a bit so you can get interesting shots from several different vantage points around the falls. One of my faves to be sure!

Also, within the Gifford-Pinchot NF, there is Mt. Adams. Mt. Adams is one of the prettier mountains in the PNW due to the beautiful landscape that you can photograph that consists of Mt. Adams in the background. My wife and I found this Buddhist Monastary while out freestyling. A beautiful, man-made pond, serene table and chair setting, some soft farming irrigation going on…and Mt. Adams in the background just as pretty as you please.

Not far away from Mt. Adams, also within the confides of Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, is a place that takes a little bit of bushwhacking to get to, called Little Goose Creek Falls. It is a lovely little waterfall but with big character. It has carved its way into this wonderful, rock amphitheater. I could have been there all day shooting this waterfall, but as the morning wore on, the more bright the overcast sky got and the more contrast became a problem. Lucky for me I brought along my ND filter set and contrast wasn’t so much a problem after that. Depending on the ND filter I used, I shot anywhere from 2 seconds to 30 seconds. If’n you want to find this waterfall, you must do it on your own. The path to it, is not groomed for the purposes of leading you to the falls. To the novice hiker, it could lead to injury. So venture forth at your own peril, use common sense, especially if you’re in an area that you’re unfamiliar with and are unsure of the terrain.

This will make a little trifecta of mountain ranges in the Mid Cascades, all in the state of Washington. Mt. Rainier is an awesome mountain, located in its own national park, and has a variety of things to see and do. In the Spring and Summer you can hike the sub-alpine meadows that lead to some of the most breath taking lakes and vistas that you’re bound to see anywhere. But like the others mentioned here, it has its share of waterfalls as well.

This is Christine Falls, probably the most photographed falls that Mt. Rainier has to offer. The beautiful framing with the stone bridge is perfect and provides a bit a texture. There aren’t many compositions, there is a limitation to that, unfortunately. But what is there to compose will lend to a wonderful photo. I would have on hand an ND or polarizing filter for those higher contrast moments. The day was overcast and post snowfall, also, early in the morning so I didn’t need a filter but when you visit, the circumstances could be very different. Better to have those filters and not need them, than the opposite. Deep into Spring, the snow melt will have this waterfall gushing with water and can provide a different look than the wispy quality of the water pictured here.

Lastly, in the state of Oregon, we have Mt. Hood, located in the Mt. Hood National Forest. In the winter, skiing, snowshoeing, snow mobiles, sledding, tubing and many other activities abound. In the Spring and Summer, hikes to alpine meadows, waterfalls, go-carts, an alpine slide and other like activities are highly sought after. This mountain can be busy all year long, depending on conditions, and is one of the most popular in Oregon. I’ve been going here for years and I hold this mountain near and dear to my heart.

Quite a ways back in time, my wife and I, though not married back then, were on a road trip, up on Mt. Hood, to go places that neither one of us had been. We took a turn off of Hwy 26 onto a road where we came upon a sign that read, Little Crater Lake. So we adventured onward and parked our car, in an actual campground area, walked the 800 feet or so on a wooden walkway to a wooden observation platform and the photo to the left is what we saw. That bluish green tint is the actual color of the water and, although only 45 feet deep, you can see all the way to the bottom. This lake is spring fed from the bottom and also from Little Crater Creek. A beautiful little lake, quiet and serene, in which to enjoy some gorgeous views! If you follow the trail past the lake, you will end up making a choice to hook-up with the Pacific Crest Trail or, take a trail that goes around Timothy Lake, for a little (or allot) more of a hike. Also, there is something else…

We were so taken with the beauty of this little lake that we decided to get married here! Just a handful of people, a priest and the rest is history. Such a lovely setting, we couldn’t have asked for more. Toward the end of the ceremony, some hikers stopped to watch the remaining parts of the ceremony and gave us some applause after we were presented as Mr. and Mrs. Even brought a tear to one onlooker’s eyes. Yeah, it’s a great memory and if, through your travels, you and your partner in crime come across a place, similar to Little Crater Lake, and you want to spend your lives together…then get hitched in that very place. The memories will be so awesome, especially if you scrapbook your adventures. That’s why Mt. Hood is near and dear to our hearts and minds!

Well my adventurous friends, that about raps up this segment. I hope that you enjoyed this little trek and it conjured some ideas for you folks to go out and adventure. I don’t say this enough and probably should, safety should be of paramount importance to all who adventure. Some are more extreme, I know, but facilitating some common sense can make a trip even better when you arrive home unscathed. Do some research into the places that you’re going to visit. No what you limitations are, as do we since we’re in that grandparent age, and don’t bite off more than you can chew…especially if you’re traveling abroad. Know the rules, don’t bounce outside of them. Unmindful ways of thinking have led to the misfortunes of many people who have visited Yellowstone National Park. You can look that up. Go adventure responsibly and you will have a great time, bringing back home great memories and you get to adventure another day. Until next time, be and travel well!