Westward Ho! Part 1

As we remember back through our childhood history lessons and the Euro-American migration west crossing the Mississippi Rivers, through the great plains and over the Rocky Mountains, you might recall that there were basically 4 stages of population influx into Indian lands.  First, we saw trappers and miners exploring the wilderness. As interest in settling the west grew, forts were built to help tame the wilderness and protect the settlers from the Native Americans whose homelands they took. Homesteaders followed closely on the heels of the army, they built towns that would support their agrarian business. Finally the great iron roads of the railroad barons began crossing the plains bringing in a greater number of Euro-American settlers and the wilderness of the west was considered tamed.

It was a time of great changes and great troubles as the accomplishments of one people did not benefit all people. Looking at history comes with its own challenges but a historian friend of mine often reminds me that it is a trap with no clear answers or escape to judge yesterday’s actions with today’s sensibilities. All we can really do is observe and report, watch trends and tendencies with the hope of learning from the past and not passing judgment.

Fort Simcoe was built in 1856 near a fresh spring used as a gathering place for the Yakama Indians. The translated name for the area means bubbling water. I can imagine trappers introducing the Yakama Nation to Euro-Americans here. But it is the fort that visitors come to see, and right now I have no proof that ever occurred. The fort was originally built to keep the peace between the native people and settlers and this fertile area was coveted by both populations. So the army being the army, settled the matter and built a fort. Once the treaty between the Yakama and United States was ratified in 1859, the army abandoned the fort to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and it became a controversial boarding school for Yakama children. It’s a hard history to understand, but the beauty of Fort Simcoe will show you why it was a treasured place for the Yakama people.

The fort sits on a hill overlooking the fertile lands of the Yakima River Valley. While most of the buildings are reconstructed – the officer’s quarters and a block house a distance from the main fort are original. Enlisted barracks, jails, block house, and interpretive center are reconstructed in the construction techniques of the time. The Officer’s Quarters are styled in Gothic Revival with high pitched dormers to add a perfect contrast to the rolling hills of Eastern Washington. You can also explore the officer’s quarters and the park has created styled vignettes in each of the rooms.

I like focusing in on the details of the buildings and construction techniques. Try to record the details that help record the era. The vignettes in the officer’s quarters are blocked off as in most historical homes but I’ll use a longer lens and a high ISO to zoom in on the settings and furnishings.

A mile-long trail around the park takes you through shrub steppe and oak forest, giving you an idea of what the land may have looked like before Euro-Americans settled here.

We’ll next drive 72 miles north and a few years beyond Fort Simcoe to 1875 and Olmstead Place Historical State Park to photograph life on a frontier homestead. The Olmsteads settled along the Altapes Creek in Kittitas Valley. Their modest cabin soon grew into storage and animal sheds. As the prosperity through cattle grew in the region so did the Olmsteads. The homestead now includes a pioneer cabin, original out buildings, a more modern barn and house, plus a heritage garden filled with colorful flowers.

The out buildings are filled with agricultural implements from the 19^th and early 20^th centuries while the cabin is filled with home making supplies so the visitor can imagine life on the farm on the frontier. Use whatever lens you’re comfortable with and look for patterns and textures in the details.

We’ll need to speed forward a few years to 1909 and 35 miles west to the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul and Pacific Railroad South Cle ElumRail Yard – I just call it the South Cle Elum Rail Yard. As Railroads began to cross the expanse of our nation, a greater number of Euro-Americans made the trek to cities large and small to open libraries, schools, and businesses not entirely dependent on the agrarian culture. The beginning of the industrialization of the west began – very few areas of the west were considered frontier.

Now the South Cle Elum Rail Yard is managed by the Cascade Rail Foundation in partnership with Washington State Parks. It is what is called an affiliated site as it has been preserved through funds and administration of the Washington State Parks Commission. The Milwaukee Road is now a mostly paved trail  - the Palouse to Cascades Trail - stretching from North Bend to Vantage with plans to extend the trail when possible.

But our focus is on the old depot. South Cle Elum became a division point where locomotives were serviced and crews switched on and off. Passengers and freight could also board or depart the trains in the points. A short interpretive trail circles a meadow where you can see some of the old foundations of structures needed to run a depot such as the roundhouse and water tank. The depot is open with exhibits and stop by Smokey’s Bar-B-Que next door in the depot for dinner to end your day.

Directions from Yakima, 106 miles between parks

To get to Fort Simcoe from Yakima: Drive south on I-82 for 7.5 miles to Lateral A Road. Turn right and follow Lateral A Rd for 10 miles to Fort Road. Turn right on Fort road and follow to White Swan in 14 miles. Turn Left on Signal Peak Road then another right onto Fort Simcoe Road. The park will be on your left.

Fort Simcoe to Olmstead Place: Go backwards from the above directions and pass through Yakima on I-82 heading north until the Thrall Road exit just before the junction with I-90. Turn left onto Thrall Road and another left onto Number 6 Road. In 4 miles, turn right onto Kittitas Hiway and follow to the park on your right.

Olmstead Place to South Cle Elum Railyard: Head back out to Kittitas Highway and turn left, follow into Ellensburg to Canyon Road. Turn left on Canyon Rd then another left onto I-90 westbound. In 25 miles, take exit 84 from I-90. Turn right onto Oakes Ave in Cle Elum follow to 1^st Ave then turn Left. Make another left onto S Cle Elum Way. Follow S Cle Elum way into South Cle Elum then turn right onto Madison Ave. Turn left onto 6^th and another right onto Milwaukee Ave. The depot and park will be on your left.

Fall into Northwest Foliage I

As Labor Day rolls past my calendar, my mind turns to thoughts of Autumn. The season doesn’t officially start for another few weeks, but I start thinking of pumpkin spice breves, school supplies, fogy mornings giving way to crisp sunny days, and fiery fall foliage.

Leaves begin to tarnish in the high alpine zones of our Pacific Northwest Mountains in August emphasizing a short rowing season where just a month prior the meadows were exhibiting the fertile vibrancy of mountain meadows speckled with pinks, yellows, and purples of wildflowers. Bees and mosquitoes fill the air with ever-present buzzing. Birds sing from the trees and deer nibble on the plant life. The colors turn red and gold in August as the air quiets. Deer are migrating to fresher fields leaving the meadows to marmots and pika gathering stores for the long winter ahead of them.

Summer holds on for another month in the Puget Sound lowlands. Big leaf maples start yellowing in September and the vine maple secluded in the evergreen forests become ablaze in October. Cooler days and more often then not, overcast skies. If you remember your 4 F’s – the subjects best suited to overcast days – forests are one of the F’s. With cloudy skies, you get less harsh shadows, and fewer blown out highlights – in general, more pleasing images without a lot of post processing headaches. You will also need to make sure you grab your tripod; cloudy days mean less light through the lens so often slower shutter speeds – which can be used for fun creative effects.

As you walk through the parks on each of these trips, look for branches of leaves extending across the trunks of conifers or into the scenery. Open your aperture wide to capture just a single leaf in focus with a splash of color in the background. Look for fallen leaves in the trail, on rocks, on ferns, or anywhere really. Grab your macro equipment and focus in on the veins of a leaf or head out after a rain and compose images with rain drops hanging onto the edge. Slow your shutter down and play with creative zooms and pans. Are you out and about while the sun is shining? Don’t be afraid to turn your lens towards the sun and capture leaves glowing with backlit wonder. Your images are only limited by the amount of daylight you have to play in.

This road trip takes you to 4 parks in the Enumclaw area that have a nice variety of forests for your creativity and pleasure.

First we’ll go to Kanasket-Palmer State Park along the Green River near the outflow of the Green River Gorge. Hike the trails along the river shore for views of the Green River Gorge. Rafters and kayakers are often seen drifting past on the current; their colorful boats are a wonderful punctuation on grey days. Look for fallen leaves along the river’s shore – here is a nice area to practice long exposures composing for the stillness of a leaf on a rock with blurred water surrounding the stationary subject.

From there, head to Nolte State Park. This little lake can often be overlooked as a photographic destination but we’re here to shatter those perceptions. A visit in the fall will have you walking through golden vine maples, their leaves drifting to the ground like vibrant snowflakes. Take the time to meander along the mile long trail around the lake. On sunny days point your camera to the sun for leaves that seem to be glowing from within.

Our next stop is to Flaming Geyser State Park. While the namesake of the park – a gas pocket burning above ground – is pretty much gone, the forest of big leaf maples will hold your interest as you hike the trail to the bubbling geyser. As the leaves fall into the grey sulfur mud they sparkle with color. Spend some time exploring the marshes near the parking lot for birds and wild critter settling in for winter.

Finally we’ll drive out highway 410 to Federation Forest State Park along the White River. With over 9 miles of trails, your adventure here can be as long as you want to make it. Start with the interpretive trail near the Catherine Montgomery Interpretive Center. Vine maple grow in abundance here and offer a bright contrast against the heavy bark of douglas-fir trees.

With Enumclaw as the hub for your road trip, make sure you stop at one of the fine restaurants for lunch to refuel your adventure.

Directions from Enumclaw - 40 miles between parks

To Kanasket-Palmer State Park: From Highway 410 in Enumclaw take 284th Ave SE heading north out of town. In a mile and a half the road turns into Veazie-Cumberland Rd SE. Continue to follow Veazie-Cumberland Rd SE as it turns into Cumberland-Kanasket Rd SE, just after Nolte State Park. After Nolte State Park, travel another 2.3 miles to Kanasket Palmer State Park Rd, turn left and drive to the day-use parking lot near the river.

To Nolte: Travel back along Cumberland Kanasket Rd SE towards Enumclaw and turn into Nolte State Park at 2.3 miles.

To Flaming Geyser State Park: Return towards Enumclaw via Veazie Cumberland Rd SE, turn right on 392nd St. which turns into SE 400th Way. After 2 miles, turn right onto State Route 169. Stay on State Route 169 for 3.3 miles then turn left on SE Green Valley Rd. Turn left into the park at 2.8 miles.

To Federation Forest State Park: Return to Enumclaw via State Route 169. Head east on Highway 410 for 15 miles to arrive at Federation Forest State Park.

10 Tips for Forest Photography

After publishing a post about what makes forests so magical to photograph, I thought I'd give you 10 tips on how to photograph in a forest.

1. Go On Overcast Days

You wake up and notice a bright sunny day beginning to warm the earth. Grab your camera and head to the beach. But if you get a day with a little to a lot of cloud cover, take your camera to the forest. As sunlight streams through the trees, dark shadows cast next to bright highlights. This can be very difficult to capture in one exposure. It can be done, but generally with quite a bit of post processing involved. And if you've clipped your highlights and/or darks on your histogram you might be out of luck pulling details out of those areas. Diffused light is so much better at capturing the colors and textures of the trees and under-story of the forest. Without the harsh highlights and shadows, the wonderful details of the forest come to life. Clouds are nature's diffusers and make for less headaches in light metering and post processing. Added tip: Foggy days add a sense of mystery.

2. Bring Your Tripod

Since you're going out on cloudy days, you will most likely be using a slower shutter speed on your camera. Do yourself a favor and bring a tripod. I can't tell you how many times I've been disappointed when I got home because I thought "Ah, it's bright enough. I don't need a tripod." No, I needed a tripod. The light may seem bright enough, but often it's not - not in the trees at least. Even with higher quality sensors that can be boosted to capturing good images at high ISO's, you might find you want to keep your ISO lower to reduce noise. And if you throw a polarizing filter on your lens (tip #4), your shutter speed will become even slower with the added density of the filter. There have been times that I've found the tripod useful as a trekking pole too.

3. Bring A Variety Of Lenses

When hiking, I generally head out with 2 lenses to help cut down on extra weight in my pack - an 18mm-75mm zoom and a 75mm-300mm zoom. I've found that this lens combination helps me capture pretty much everything. You will also want to pack along a macro lens to capture those close-up details. I personally use a diopter filter for macro - again a decision to help cut down on pack weight plus I do not mind that there is focus fall-off with the diopter because of my style of photography. You might decide differently. But the point here is to bring lenses and play with them. A slow walk in the forest encourages you to experiment and find out what you, your camera and your lenses can do. Having a wide angle lens gives you sweeping forest views with ferns or flowers in the foreground. A longer lens lets you focus on the far-away leaf glittering in the light against the dark.

4. Bring Your Polarizer

Oh my gosh, I can not extol the virtues of having a polarizing filter for forest photography enough. A polarizer helps to cut the glare and reflections on such things as windows, water, and leaves. Even on cloudy days, you can end up with light reflections or glare on the leaves of your subject. Adding a circular polarizer and rotating it will cut down the glare. Test it, see what happens - with the live-view viewfinders, you will see the difference it makes. They cut the glare and all of a sudden your greens are greener, reds are redder and everything around you looks rich and alive. The trees begin to talk and the ferns start showing off. You can feel yourself fall into the wondrous land just like Alice.

5. Watch Where You're Looking (up, down, behind)

As we walk through the world, we tend to look down to watch where we step.  While this is very important in the forest - we don't want to trip over roots and rocks - we also want to make sure we're not missing the beauty surrounding us. Look up:  see how the trees come together in the sky. Look for branches stretching across the trees. Is the sun peaking through? Can you get a sun star or better yet, sunbeams? So much of the forest is above our eyes, so make sure you search the life above. Look down, but for more than where to put your next step. Does the trail offer a beautiful curve through the tree? Are there mushrooms, flowers, or details along the edge of the trail that are talking to you? Look over your shoulder. Is the light hitting that hanging moss differently once you get around to the other side? Or is the grouping of trees offering a different texture? What does the forest look like if you stand on that rock over there? What about if you lay down in the trail? Change your perspective and the forest will tell you another story.

6. Seasons Change

One of my favorite aspects of telling the forest story, is that it doesn't matter what time of the year you go. In fact the more often you go, the better the story. Winter displays of bare limbs open the under-story to wider views. Mists cling to evergreen bows like sparkling jeweled drops or snow fall gently through the trees. Spring wakens with bright green growth of young leaves on bushes and trees - the air seems to glow with life. Ferns unfurl their fronds as flowers open upward to the sky. When summer arrives, head to cooler forests for wonderful textures in the trees. While in tip #1 the idea is to go with cloudy day, why not head out with the sun spotting the forest floor and play with the details of light and dark. My favorite season is autumn, when the leaves begin to tarnish with season's end. While in spring you walk through air glowing green, in autumn the air vibrates with gold.

7. Go Slow and Stop Often

My friends know that when I invite them on a forest walk and pull out my tripod at the trailhead, we're going slow. Sometimes it's as slow as a mile an hour. Luckily they know this and bring plenty of layers and snacks. But it is also a time for them to slow down and really look at the forest details. I often see them hunched over some lichen or wildflower, their cameras out capturing a texture or splash of color. Don't be afraid to stop if something catches your eye - even if you're not sure what it was. Stop, go back, study, move, adjust until you see what initially caught your attention. If you're not seeing it, move on. You're taking a walk in the woods; you're not on a death march. Take your time, communicate with the forest, listen to what it's telling you, then photograph that message.

8. Play With Your Camera Settings

Just like using different lenses to create different effects or bring attention to different aspects of the forest, playing with your camera settings can help to fully tell your story of the forest. First, play with your aperture. A wide open aperture will highlight an element like a wildflower while throwing the rest of the scene into a soft frame. Close down the aperture to show the depth of detail and texture of the forest. Next try adjusting your shutter speed. A fast shutter speed will quickly capture a fleeting moment in time, like a deer peaking through the brush or a flowing bouncing in the wind. A slower shutter speed adds the effect of movement - the bouncing flower becomes a study in motion. Or try panning to highlight the splashes of color. Get to know your camera and the creative possibilities it will help you discover.

9. Add Humanity

I like hiking with my friends, don't you? Why not add human perspective into your images? People are not an other in the wilderness but are grown from it. Our experiences in the woods help form who we are and our relationship with the natural world. Adding a human element helps to tell the story of this relationship. It shows the grandeur of the forest and the awe we feel as we walk in the presence of nature.

10. Have Fun

Finally, Have Fun! If you walk into a forest with an happy attitude, the forest will respond in kind. It will begin to show you its secrets. It will show you its soul. You can't help but be happy trying to capture the story of the forest. Play with your lenses, your settings, your viewpoint. Take you time to get to know the place your in and you can't help but leave with a smile on your face. Photographing in a forest is a time to play and laugh. Look at the forest as a child would, with eyes of wonder and exploration. I guarantee that if you have fun, you're images will show that fun and wonder.

Rhodie-Trip

I like to think of the more archaic definition of truss when I look at the bunches of flowers heaped upon the wide dark green leaves of the rhododendron. That definition describes bundles. You see, the bundles of flowers of the rhododendron are called trusses. It is quite fitting. There’s another definition of truss that comes to mind when I see the pink ruffled blossoms in the forest. This one speaks of being elaborately dressed, in fancy costume. I imagine a teenager heading to her first prom - all arms and legs as she bursts into the room. At once gangly and elegant, growing into the woman she will become. She laughs as she dances in her pink dress, ruffles shivering in the breeze. My heart can’t help but be lifted by her joyous nature.

Washington State’s official flower, the pacific rhododendron, invites our hearts to dance in the stately halls of the cedar, hemlock & douglas-fir forest. Unlike the dense wall-like shrubs of their domestic relatives found in almost every yard in the Pacific Northwest, the wild Rhodies branches stretch through the forest mid-story in search of light between the great conifers. All Rhodies thrive in shaded areas with dappled light, which is why you will sometimes see wild Rhododendrons sometime 20 or more feet tall. The flowers of the Pacific Rhododendron are a soft pink that are in stark contrast to the rough browns of the trees that give them a backdrop. Because of this contrast, many photographers choose compositions with a single blossom or a truss against the trunk of a tree.

To see these beauties up close and close to home, visit four state parks on the northern Olympic Peninsula during their peak season of late April through early June. You will easily understand why the natives of Puget Sound decorated their long houses with these otherwise unusable plants. The only creature that seems to like nibbling on Rhodendrons is the mountain beaver - and my goat Butterfly who could not stay out of my mother’s rhodies even though the made her very, very ill. The light pink flowers can brighten any dull room and amongst the trees they sparkle with a shimmer of joy.

Our first stop on this road trip is Old Fort Townsend State Park near Port Townsend. Once a remote lonely army outpost on the edge of the continent, Old Fort Townsend has once again been reclaimed by the forest. A few old foundations, the old cemetery plot and a tower used to dissect torpedoes are all that remain. A thriving Pacific Northwest forest has reclaimed most of the property, replacing the century old memories with Douglas-Fir, Salal, Sword Ferns and Rhododendron. Walk along the Madrona Trail past the torpedo x-ray tower to connect with the Rhododendron Trail. You will find Rhododendrons peaking at you from behind trees. Be sure to look up as you go, many of the bushes here can be mistaken for trees.

Next travel a short distance to Anderson Lake State Park. While the lake has suffered from a toxic algae bloom and is unsafe to swim in, it is still very pretty spot to sit and contemplate the resilience of nature. Life still swarms along the edges of the lake where reeds and water lilies grow. But to see the pink flowering bushes, you’ll need to travel just a short distance from the lakeshore. Several trails interconnect and encircle the lake adding to the leisurely pace of the park. The best one to see the Rhododendrons and converse with them as they reach out to you along your walk would be the Anderson Trail – approximately 1 ½ miles around the lake. It’s tempting to pick a few flowers to take home, they’re so close to the trail, but please leave them be for others to enjoy including bouncing bumble bees.

Head out to Highway 101 and towards the town of Sequim to our next Rhodie filled park. Miller Peninsula is one of the newer parks for the Washington State Parks Commission and is still considered an undeveloped property. Several volunteer groups, including the Washington Trails Association, have been busy improving the trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders and in recent years a paved parking lot with outhouse and horse ramp have been added. While I have seen wild Rhododendron in all parts of the park, for more intimate views of Rhodies hike along the short parking lot loop trail. You will see pink even before you lock your car and by the end of your walk you will feel as if the joyous pink flowers are your best friends.

We have time for one last park is on this little road trip - Sequim Bay State Park. This little park is known for being a fisherman and birding park but the flowers are not to be missed. You really don’t even need to walk far. Park at the upper parking lot just inside the park gate and walk along the road through the campground. Better yet, walk or bike along the Olympic Discovery trail where Rhodies line the way as if cheering you on to a perfect day.

Directions from Port Townsend (29 miles between parks):

To Old Fort Townsend - Head south on Highway 20 to Old Fort Townsend Rd and turn left. Follow to the park – trail access is along the road and past the ranger’s quarters near the RV camping area.

To Anderson Lake – Drive back to Highway 20 on Old Fort Townsend Rd and turn left. In 1.5 miles you’ll come to a junction with Highway 19, veer left onto Highway 19. Follow this for 4 miles to Anderson Lake Rd and turn right. The park will be on your right in 2 miles.

To Miller Peninsula – Leave Anderson Lake State Park and turn right, this will take you back to Highway 20. Once there turn left and follow until you reach Highway 101. Turn right towards Sequim and Port Angeles, drive another 8 miles to Diamond Point Rd and turn right. The parking lot is on your left about a mile down the road.

To Sequim Bay – Return to Highway 101 by Diamond Point Rd and turn right. Drive 5 ½ miles to the park located on your right.

Reflections on the Eagle Creek Fire

This was originally written while camping in the gorge this past May.

With a spark smelling of sulfur, the fuse caught fire quickly sizzling closer to explosion. A soft lob an the firecracker turned end over end through the air - arcing slowly down the hillside landing in brown grass dried by the summer’s heat; followed by a cracking pop. Laughter filtered down from above. Another sulfur spark, another lob, another cracking pop in brown grass. The laughter fades into the distance as a tendril of smoke snaked upward from the grass.

By day’s end, the trail above was closed and a long night awaited 150 day hikers trapped by the growing flame. Forty-eight hours later the Eagle Creek fire engulfed the canyon and joined the Indian Creek fire already burning threatening homes and businesses, popular recreation areas, and historic structures. It took nearly 3 months to fully contain and, in that time, jumped the Columbia River to burn acreage in Washington. In the end, 50,000 acres burned, 8 trails were severely damaged, 1 woman lost her home, and the historic highway is closed until further notice.

It was a gut punch the first time I saw the barren cliffs and blackened trees as I drove along I-84. Where I expected to see green & yellow lichens decorating the basalt walls, the was only grey. Blackened skeletal remains of vine maple haunted the forest floor. The young man who threw the firecrackers to entertain his friends, the firecrackers that started the fire had been ordered earlier in the week to pay 36.6 million in restitution as well as 1920 hours of community service and to write letters of apology to everyone immediately affected by his actions – including the woman who lost her home.

Would the citizenry ever see payment for the destruction of a beloved wilderness are? Time will tell and it’s not a question I want to ponder right now. The damage is done and no amount of desire for vengeance will repair the damage. I am here to camp and share time with friends – something I have done for the past 9 years since leaving my husband. It has become an annual pilgrimage of renewal, to breathe in the forest air and listen to the sounds of crashing water falling from high cliffs.

It was here in the little park named Ainsworth where I spoke long into the night with a man and his sons and remembered that life was still an option. It was here where I stood high above the river that I realized beauty will always find a way into my vision. It was here when I began my walk into my future.

Memories were created here, memorialized on camera. There were nights sleeping under the stars & mornings sitting in flowered meadows watching the sun rise. Birthdays and friendships celebrated with burgers, beer and ice cream. All my memories twirled in my head as I drove the highway to my weekend campsite in Ainsworth, including that long talk into the night.

The physical pain I felt as the blackened trees and barren ground passed by my car windows grew until I pulled into Ainsworth State Park. The little park of my hope remained flush with green. Just beyond its borders crept the specter of fire but within the park ferns unfurled, flowers bloomed, and trees flourished. I could look out my tent door to see the hope of possibility that this treasured land would choose life.

Forest Patina

The forest begins to darken. The sun is still high in the sky and a glance at my watch lets me know it's close to noon. Clouds had been drifting across the sky all morning, but this wasn't a cloud dimming the light through the trees - this was the closeness of the trees.

This is the kind of forest where I slow down, a forest out of a Grimm's brothers fairy tale where children are eaten and lost wanderers wake in a land of elves and not the Orlando Bloom kind. I both love and fear the closeness of the forest. I love it for the silence and stillness that lets me breathe deeply the earthy air while trying to calm my racing heart. It's the closed character of the forest I fear. I'm a bit claustrophobic so not being able to see far makes my heart quicken. I also have a vivid imagination so every drip from mist laden tree, every rustling of a critter I have to stop and listen and remind myself that all is well. That a wicked witch isn't coming to cook me in a stew like my sister would often tell me as children.

My pace slows as I push aside my apprehension to appreciate the beauty around me. In a forest this dense little light gets through the canopy above so the under story is sparse. It's winter now and I wonder if any of the small woodland flowers are able to brighten the side of the trail. Little white foam flowers, maybe some twin flower. A speckling of white against the dark soil and duff.

Dark and moist coastal air is perfect habitat for lichens and moss which I'm finding plenty of during my hike through Hoypus Point. Off in the narrow distance I see the greyish green of what I've heard refer to a Forest Patina (I googled it and google has no idea what I'm talking about). Just look at the image above, the lichens on the tree trunks give an appearance of copper as it ages. The same complexion as the Statue of Liberty.

Our Pacific Northwest forests are perfect for lichens and mosses and even algae to grow on the trunks of trees. And while the light hasn't changed in this section of the forest, it seems brighter now. Less foreboding, more welcoming. I find the patina to have an almost ghostly effect. I pause to wonder why these trees? Why this spot? Had I just not noticed the patina until now?

I softly lay a hand against the green bark and smile before heading back into the dark forest.

My 12 Favorite Images of 2017

We've started 2018, a new folder has been created for the year and images are already being loaded up. I looking forward to the coming year and all it has to offer but can't let go of some of the great adventures I had in 2017. I'd like to share with you some of my favorite images. Hopefully some of them are yours too.

Christmas Snow - The holidays had been rough this year. My aunt who is succumbing to breast cancer is increasingly feeble, a friend's son died in a horrific train crash, and a mentor of mine in outdoor leadership died right before Christmas. Christmas evening, instead of heading home to dwell on the sorrow, I stopped by a little wooded park near Mt Rainier NP. As it started to snow, I stopped and let the silence and beauty surround and comfort me before nudging me onward.

Sunset Glow - Mt Rainier featured prominently during 2017. I spent several nights sleeping in my car to capture the Milky Way above the mountain. Before settling in one night to await the stars' movement into perfect position, I watched the mountain light up from the sun's glow through the smoke of nearby forest fires. The smoke caught along the ridge line at the end of the day made  the trip worthwhile.

Spreading Phlox - After spending the night in my car in the sunrise parking lot - a fitful sleep as I kept getting up to photograph the Milky Way - I hiked up to Sourdough Ridge as dawn approached. I reached the ridge and noticed a spreading phlox wrapped around a rock and figured as the sun hit mt Rainier I'd try and compose an image - flowers in focus but mountain slightly blurred so you know what it is, but also know it's not the main subject. I sat on the bench to watch light poor over the ridges around the Green River before heading back to my rock and phlox. Just as the sun hit the Willis Wall, I hit the shutter.

From Dege Peak - I had hopes of catching sunrise from the top of Dege Peak. Too many stops for predawn images made me late to that party. Fires had been burning in the area for about a week when I topped out on the peak and haze filled the landscape. One look at Mt Rainier and I knew I didn't want to bother with that "boring" view. I was far more enraptured by the golden light, the haze hanging in the air, the tonalities of color, and the curve of the ridge. This image still fills my heart with joy.

Vista House - See those dark clouds along the horizon with the bands of rain falling? Yeah, We were supposed to be camping there. But after a drenching mile into our backpack, my sister & I with our friends Evie & Kevin hoofed it quickly back to the trailhead. We decided instead to tour the Columbia River Gorge and take in some of the waterfalls. Our last stop was the Portland Women's Forum viewpoint. I pulled out my long zoom to photograph Vista House against the darkness beyond when the clouds parted for just a few seconds to shine on the building.

Beached Kayaks - These are the sunsets made for photography. The ones at the end of a storm where a breach in the clouds along the horizon allows the setting sun to light up the dark clouds. I was standing on a dock in Newberry Crater with most of the rest of the campers watching the show when I spotted two beached kayaks a little ways down. Grabbing my tripod & camera, I jumped off the dock and ran as fast as I could along the pebbled shore to get yellow kayaks against the red-orange sky.

Doorway to OZ - Well not OZ, more like a warm June Day in Cedarville, CA. I went with a friend to tour the most Northeast county in California, Modoc County, because neither of us had been there. He is a history buff and there's tons of history in Modoc County. I just like visiting new places and I like high desert and plains. One morning we stopped in Cedarville which a mile or two from the Nevada state line and meandered through the town filled with rustic Americana. This is from an antique shop. I loved the contrast of the monochromatic interior with the vibrant door and back alley.

Eclipse in Seattle - Not sure if you heard this but there was a solar eclipse in 2017. Kind of a big deal around the Northwest. While Seattle was out of the totality range, it didn't stop us from admiring the event. I decided to stay in Seattle and photograph the watchers. I came across this guy in Pioneer Square and thought he was the stereotypical Seattle-ite watching the eclipse: funky hat, shoulder bag, pink shirt, sandals, coffee in one hand, and eclipse glasses in the other.

Halloween Eyes - For the 3rd year, I volunteered at Fort Casey's Haunted Fort event during October. It's a fun event where I get to let my inner ghoul out. And of course I like taking my camera. I asked this young lady, a ghoulish pirate, for a photo. While I love intensity of her eyes, what makes this one of my favorites is letting go of my inhibitions and getting close to a stranger to accomplish the vision in my head.

Taking Flight - A group of photographers went to the Billy Frank Jr Nisqually Wildlife Refuge to  find some wintering birds. As we walked past the flock of Canada Geese, they took off. I only had seconds to pull up my camera and focus before they were gone. The flight seems to be stirring the willow behind them.

Details - I love photographing waterfalls. You can spend so much time narrowing in on the details - the splash against rocks, the spray in the air, the rhythm of the flow. Slow down the shutter speed and you open up a whole new variable. I can spend all day playing with waterfalls. This one, LaTourell Falls in the Columbia Gorge, I didn't have all day. But once I saw how the water splashed and cascaded of the rocks at its base, I knew that's what would tell the story of an early spring run-off.

Sunrise, Second Beach - So I end my stroll down memory lane with morning on Second Beach on the Olympic Coast. It was one of those soft gentle pastel mornings I look forward to on my outings. They are a reminder that life has bright outlooks and a purpose to move towards. This coming year, that purpose is to finish the book I've been working on and to continue exploring and sharing the beauty of the world with you.