A glorious day in the North Cascades

coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
edited October 5, 2010 in Landscapes
A glorious autumn day yesterday in the North Cascades, the color was peak everywhere.

#1: Backlit larches (conifers that think they're deciduous, the needles turn yellow and fall off every year, they're also really really soft):

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#2: The view from Maple Pass, that's Lake Ann at the bottom, and you can see part of the trail on the left.

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#3:

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#4: Another larch (they were everywhere!), because it was completely clear out, the needles were extremely translucent and bright when backlit.

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#5: After doing the Maple Pass loop hike, I went 30 miles as the crow flies (but 3 hours driving!) to Mt. Baker. Here is some alpenglow on Mt. Shuksan with colorful mountain ash in the foreground:

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#6: I know the north east gets all the publicity in autumn, with good reason, but the variety of colors at the higher elevations in Washington State is pretty crazy.

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#7: Mist was flowing in and around the lake

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#8: I was trying to avoid this bench in all my shots and gave up and made it the primary subject :)

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#9: Busted out the macro lens too

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#10:

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Comments

  • stover98074stover98074 Registered Users Posts: 33 Big grins
    edited October 3, 2010
    Ron,

    I am envious of your day and have enjoyed your photos. I most enjoy 5, 7, 8 and 9. Judging by the light, I am guessing you either got in early or stayed late.

    I have hiked the parts of the souther portion of mountain loop highway and your photos make me want to schedule a hike next weekend.

    These are well done and thanks for sharing.
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  • squirl033squirl033 Registered Users Posts: 1,230 Major grins
    edited October 3, 2010
    good stuff, Ron... there wasn't that much along hwy 20, at least not till you got east of the passes... the Methow Valley was pretty colorful, but by the time i got there, it was pretty late...
    ~ Rocky
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  • bryanj87bryanj87 Registered Users Posts: 859 Major grins
    edited October 3, 2010
    You should've gone to Wyoming. ;) Seriously, great set. I love those larches, very cool.
  • Awais YaqubAwais Yaqub Registered Users Posts: 10,572 Major grins
    edited October 3, 2010
    Beautiful set of photos, colors are so refreshing.
    Thine is the beauty of light; mine is the song of fire. Thy beauty exalts the heart; my song inspires the soul. Allama Iqbal

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  • scolescole Registered Users Posts: 378 Major grins
    edited October 4, 2010
    Nice Ron. The color along the Mountain Loop Highway & out towards Darrington is pretty bad this year.
  • schmooschmoo Registered Users Posts: 8,468 Major grins
    edited October 4, 2010
    Nothing can stop the Ronster! I love the first few looking down into the valley. Wow, what a view. And the color in the macro shots are just unbelievable!
  • Roaddog 52Roaddog 52 Registered Users Posts: 309 Major grins
    edited October 4, 2010
    A great set of images, a whole lot of nice color. I really like the side light on #4 and the serenity of #8.

    Phil<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
    I don't know where I'm goin, but I'm goin anyway.
  • dlplumerdlplumer Registered Users Posts: 8,081 Major grins
    edited October 4, 2010
  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    Ron,

    I am envious of your day and have enjoyed your photos. I most enjoy 5, 7, 8 and 9. Judging by the light, I am guessing you either got in early or stayed late.

    I have hiked the parts of the souther portion of mountain loop highway and your photos make me want to schedule a hike next weekend.

    These are well done and thanks for sharing.

    Thanks! The shots around Picture Lake and Mt. Shuksan were taken just before and at sunset. The Maple Pass photos were taken at sunrise. I left my house around 2 AM and got back home around 10 PM :)
    squirl033 wrote: »
    good stuff, Ron... there wasn't that much along hwy 20, at least not till you got east of the passes... the Methow Valley was pretty colorful, but by the time i got there, it was pretty late...

    Yeah I didn't see a ton of color yet down there, but I haven't been there in peak so I don't have a reference. I had been on the Maple Pass hike before a few weeks later in October but the snow had fallen a few days before and I couldn't do the entire hike. Not sure what I'll do this weekend but I'll find something.
    bryanj87 wrote: »
    You should've gone to Wyoming. ;) Seriously, great set. I love those larches, very cool.

    I still want to go to Wyoming! Maybe in the dead of winter when it's 0 degrees and there's several feet of snow around. The larches are really cool, this was the first time I had really photographed them at peak.
    Beautiful set of photos, colors are so refreshing.

    Thanks Awais!
    scole wrote: »
    Nice Ron. The color along the Mountain Loop Highway & out towards Darrington is pretty bad this year.

    Thanks, I didn't get to see that area in daylight, but around Concrete and between Highway 20 and 542 there wasn't much color.
    schmoo wrote: »
    Nothing can stop the Ronster! I love the first few looking down into the valley. Wow, what a view. And the color in the macro shots are just unbelievable!

    The view was incredible, in all directions too. Not too much effort either, it's one of the more popular hikes for a reason. The mountain ash has such a huge variety of colors when it turns.
    Roaddog 52 wrote: »
    A great set of images, a whole lot of nice color. I really like the side light on #4 and the serenity of #8.

    Phil<o:p></o:p>

    Thanks! I'm glad that autumn is here, but it goes by so quickly...
    dlplumer wrote: »
    Glorious indeed <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >lust<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/clap.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

    Thanks! I probably won't get that much yellow again until Zion in few weeks <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/mwink.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,942 moderator
    edited October 5, 2010
    I really like the North Cascades. Some really beautiful stuff out that way.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • TreyHoffTreyHoff Registered Users Posts: 388 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    Very nice composition of Mt. Shuksan especially with the foreground color. thumb.gif
  • TharhawkTharhawk Registered Users Posts: 286 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    If you are in for a bit of a hike...two places that are reasonably easy. Ruth Mountain (14 miles round trip...less if you just go to hannigan pass) and/or Yellow Aster Butte for something easier (6 miles round trip).

    Nice pics. Too bad we didn't run into each other before I left Maple Pass for Black Peak.
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  • redleashredleash Registered Users Posts: 3,840 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    Wonderful set, Ron. Can't decide on a favorite so I will take one of each! :D Truly, #4 and 6 are simply elegant in their simplicity and colors!

    Lauren
    "But ask the animals, and they will teach you." (Job 12:7)

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  • tisuntisun Registered Users Posts: 435 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    Love the colors of the backlit larch.
  • NorthernFocusNorthernFocus Registered Users Posts: 1,347 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    Simply awesome, Ron clap.gif But you're totally ruining decades worth of propaganda convincing the world that all it does is rain in the PNW eek7.gif
    Dan

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  • photodad1photodad1 Registered Users Posts: 566 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    Nice photos, I like # 5 the best.
  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    ian408 wrote: »
    I really like the North Cascades. Some really beautiful stuff out that way.

    Definitely, they have a distinctive character different from the larger volcanoes in the state (you gotta love names like Mt. Terror and Mt. Despair!)
    TreyHoff wrote: »
    Very nice composition of Mt. Shuksan especially with the foreground color. thumb.gif

    Thanks - that was the best comp I could find that had sufficient foreground and not a bunch of people in the frame :D
    Tharhawk wrote: »
    If you are in for a bit of a hike...two places that are reasonably easy. Ruth Mountain (14 miles round trip...less if you just go to hannigan pass) and/or Yellow Aster Butte for something easier (6 miles round trip).

    Nice pics. Too bad we didn't run into each other before I left Maple Pass for Black Peak.

    I've heard of Yellow Aster Butte, I have a few hiking books on the North Cascades and I might head up that way again this weekend. It's pretty funny that we were only a mile or two apart. I've run into a few dgrinners out there, it's a pretty small world of northwest landscape photographers.
    redleash wrote: »
    Wonderful set, Ron. Can't decide on a favorite so I will take one of each! :D Truly, #4 and 6 are simply elegant in their simplicity and colors!

    Lauren

    Thanks Lauren! Both of those shots were zoomed in quite a bit (100 mm for the larch and 300-400mm for the other shot), helps to isolate the colors.
    tisun wrote: »
    Love the colors of the backlit larch.

    Thanks! One of the reasons I went on the hike even though it was going to be completely clear was so I could get some backlit larch photos.
    Simply awesome, Ron clap.gif But you're totally ruining decades worth of propaganda convincing the world that all it does is rain in the PNW eek7.gif

    I've noticed that people don't let facts get in the way of their preconceived opinions, so I think we're OK for now :)
    photodad1 wrote: »
    Nice photos, I like # 5 the best.

    Thanks! It's a popular spot for photographers, but there weren't as many there at sunset as in the middle of the day.
  • ksproulksproul Registered Users Posts: 56 Big grins
    edited October 5, 2010
    coscorrosa wrote: »
    I've heard of Yellow Aster Butte, I have a few hiking books on the North Cascades and I might head up that way again this weekend. It's pretty funny that we were only a mile or two apart. I've run into a few dgrinners out there, it's a pretty small world of northwest landscape photographers.

    I was actually up there on Saturday too. I had gone up last weekend (for the first time ever), but it was really windy so any chance of a reflection on Picture Lake (or elsewhere) was ruined. This time, I had to get back up there to get the classic Picture Lake/Shuksan shot with fall colors, and Saturday was a beautiful day for it. I got some shots there in the late afternoon while the sun was still on the foliage, and then I decided to head up to Artist Point for sunset and some night shots. I haven't had a chance to process them yet, but I'll post some soon.

    Anyway, I just thought it was funny that we were both there at basically the same time (again... I think the same thing has happened at Mount Rainier a few times too, based on photos you've posted).

    By the way, these shots are beautiful! I've really enjoyed your work since joining this forum.
    Kris
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