A wet autumn weekend at Rainier

coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
edited October 15, 2010 in Landscapes
I went up to Paradise on Saturday and got thoroughly soaked after three straight hours in hard rain on the Skyline trail and along assorted streams. Enough that some buttons on my camera didn't work, the remote shutter became iffy, and the entire LCD screen got filled with condensation. I haven't mistreated my camera that badly in at least a few months!

I went back again the next day after drying out - the forecast called for only a little rain - to try a few different shots this time without rain drops on the lens, I was battling severe fog most of the day before it cleared out just slightly in the afternoon.

#1: The horizon is level, but the mountain isn't!

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#2: All alone on the Skyline Trail

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#3: Clearing fog late in the afternoon

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#4: All streams were running quite high compared to a month ago with all the recent rain.

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#5: Paradise River

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#6: Sunday morning fog

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#7: Paradise River and a few sculpted river rocks

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#8: Blue Grouse drying off

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#9: The one plant on the entire mountain that was still in its summer clothing:

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Ron Coscorrosa

Photo Gallery | Blog | I'm Unemployed!

Comments

  • SnowgirlSnowgirl Registered Users Posts: 2,155 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2010
    Kudos to your gear for sacrificing itself to help you make these lovely images.clap.gif

    The blue grouse is sweet!
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  • dlplumerdlplumer Registered Users Posts: 8,081 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2010
    Nice set, Ron. 5 and 8 are my personal favorites here. Hope your equipment is ok:D. I am headed up to Greer Friday to do a color shoot.
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  • jackiejayjackiejay Registered Users Posts: 714 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2010
    I enjoyed the set of pics they all are great such a pretty place thanks for sharing.
  • annnna8888annnna8888 Registered Users, Super Moderators Posts: 936 SmugMug Employee
    edited October 12, 2010
    The fall and humidity may not be a good combination for a photographer, but they sure make for great pictures! Lovely atmosphere. I particularly like #1. thumb.gif I think getting wet paid off. mwink.gif

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  • TreyHoffTreyHoff Registered Users Posts: 388 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2010
    The muted colors are fabulous. Their all great, but I really like the photo of the trail as depicts your trek into wet mountains.
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  • squirl033squirl033 Registered Users Posts: 1,230 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2010
    your determination was rewarded, Ron... love that shot of the colors along the Skyline Trail! i thought about heading down that way myself, but didn't quite make it. perhaps i'll get a chance for one more trip before the snow flies...
    ~ Rocky
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  • bryanj87bryanj87 Registered Users Posts: 859 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2010
    Great stuff as always. The colors are really amazing there.
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  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2010
    Snowgirl wrote: »
    Kudos to your gear for sacrificing itself to help you make these lovely images.clap.gif

    The blue grouse is sweet!

    My poor camera gets put through a lot of abuse but (so far) it continues to recover eventually :D There were 6 grouse together, it took awhile for one of them to move into a spot that had a decent background.
    dlplumer wrote: »
    Nice set, Ron. 5 and 8 are my personal favorites here. Hope your equipment is ok:D. I am headed up to Greer Friday to do a color shoot.

    Thanks - hope your colors will be good. I've been fortunate on all of my fall color outings so far this year, every spot I've hit has been at peak. Not sure what I'm going to do this weekend as I have to be in cell range since I'm oncall.
    jackiejay wrote: »
    I enjoyed the set of pics they all are great such a pretty place thanks for sharing.

    Thanks!
    annnna8888 wrote: »
    The fall and humidity may not be a good combination for a photographer, but they sure make for great pictures! Lovely atmosphere. I particularly like #1. thumb.gif I think getting wet paid off. mwink.gif

    Ana

    Thanks Ana - I agree! I don't mind getting soaked as long as my gear continues to work (more or less).
    TreyHoff wrote: »
    The muted colors are fabulous. Their all great, but I really like the photo of the trail as depicts your trek into wet mountains.

    Thanks, in the summer that trail is pretty busy but in the pouring rain in autumn there was no one there.
    squirl033 wrote: »
    your determination was rewarded, Ron... love that shot of the colors along the Skyline Trail! i thought about heading down that way myself, but didn't quite make it. perhaps i'll get a chance for one more trip before the snow flies...

    Colors should still be good for a little while longer (you can see the huckleberry pretty good on the Paradise webcam right now).

    Here's another shot of that Skyline trail, with a wet photographer in the foreground (and a bunch of rain drops on the lens!)

    1044324539_rc5bt-XL.jpg
    bryanj87 wrote: »
    Great stuff as always. The colors are really amazing there.

    Thanks! The huckleberry really lights up at autumn, and it's everywhere in the higher elevations in the Cascades.
    Ron Coscorrosa

    Photo Gallery | Blog | I'm Unemployed!
  • ksproulksproul Registered Users Posts: 56 Big grins
    edited October 13, 2010
    As usual, your shots are beautiful! I especially like #3.
    coscorrosa wrote: »
    There were 6 grouse together, it took awhile for one of them to move into a spot that had a decent background.

    Were they right on the side of the Skyline Trail between the parking lot and Myrtle Falls? I was there on Sunday, and there were six of them hanging out in the same spot both when I walked up to Edith Creek and back down a little while later.
    coscorrosa wrote: »
    Not sure what I'm going to do this weekend as I have to be in cell range since I'm oncall.

    I'm trying to figure that out myself. On the last three weekends, I did the Mount Baker area twice and Mount Rainier once. I'd REALLY like to get out and do some more this weekend, as the weather is supposed to be beautiful. I'm sorry to hear that you have to stay in cell range.
    Kris
  • jackiejayjackiejay Registered Users Posts: 714 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2010
    The second one reminds me of a waterfall also the way it runs :)
  • Awais YaqubAwais Yaqub Registered Users Posts: 10,572 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2010
    These are beautiful, lovely colors and great compos.
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  • TdcomptonTdcompton Registered Users Posts: 212 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2010
    absolutely beautiful
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  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2010
    ksproul wrote: »
    As usual, your shots are beautiful! I especially like #3.

    Were they right on the side of the Skyline Trail between the parking lot and Myrtle Falls? I was there on Sunday, and there were six of them hanging out in the same spot both when I walked up to Edith Creek and back down a little while later.

    I'm trying to figure that out myself. On the last three weekends, I did the Mount Baker area twice and Mount Rainier once. I'd REALLY like to get out and do some more this weekend, as the weather is supposed to be beautiful. I'm sorry to hear that you have to stay in cell range.

    Yep, that was them! That was taken Sunday morning - I probably passed you on that section of the trail. The fog cleared up a little bit in the early afternoon, but was pretty thick most of the morning. The forecast said there would be trace precipitation Sunday morning and afternoon, but overcast, and it was. It also said it would rain like crazy on Saturday and it was accurate then too.

    I may be able to bribe a co-worker into taking my on-call :)
    jackiejay wrote: »
    The second one reminds me of a waterfall also the way it runs :)

    I didn't think of it like that but you're right, it's like a winding creek.
    Awais Yaqub wrote: »
    These are beautiful, lovely colors and great compos.

    Thanks Awais!
    Tdcompton wrote: »
    absolutely beautiful

    Thanks!
    Ron Coscorrosa

    Photo Gallery | Blog | I'm Unemployed!
  • ksproulksproul Registered Users Posts: 56 Big grins
    edited October 14, 2010
    coscorrosa wrote: »
    Yep, that was them! That was taken Sunday morning - I probably passed you on that section of the trail. The fog cleared up a little bit in the early afternoon, but was pretty thick most of the morning. The forecast said there would be trace precipitation Sunday morning and afternoon, but overcast, and it was. It also said it would rain like crazy on Saturday and it was accurate then too.

    I do remember seeing a couple of other photographers in that area. I must've walked right by you at some point.

    Since you've done a lot of these trips, I'm curious what forecast(s) you rely on. I've been using a mix of TWC, Weather Underground, and cleardarksky.com (usually Sunrise Point), and quite a bit of hoping for the best, lately anyway.
    coscorrosa wrote: »
    I may be able to bribe a co-worker into taking my on-call :)

    Any ideas what you're going to do? I feel like doing something different this weekend, but I have no idea what yet. I'm definitely getting out though. It could potentially be the last nice weekend for a while.
    Kris
  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2010
    ksproul wrote: »
    I do remember seeing a couple of other photographers in that area. I must've walked right by you at some point.

    Since you've done a lot of these trips, I'm curious what forecast(s) you rely on. I've been using a mix of TWC, Weather Underground, and cleardarksky.com (usually Sunrise Point), and quite a bit of hoping for the best, lately anyway.

    Any ideas what you're going to do? I feel like doing something different this weekend, but I have no idea what yet. I'm definitely getting out though. It could potentially be the last nice weekend for a while.

    cleardarksky.com is good, generally I use the NOAA hourly forecasts, I created a page with a bunch of links to the hourly forecasts of places I photograph often:

    http://coscorrosa.com/locations/

    As for this weekend - I don't know yet. I might do Rainier again or somewhere in the North Cascades if I can get out of my on-call. It's probably a little too early for lower elevation fall color. If I'm still stuck on-call I might head to the coast where I still have cell coverage as the forecast looks promising out there too.
    Ron Coscorrosa

    Photo Gallery | Blog | I'm Unemployed!
  • squirl033squirl033 Registered Users Posts: 1,230 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2010
    coscorrosa wrote: »
    If I'm still stuck on-call I might head to the coast where I still have cell coverage as the forecast looks promising out there too.

    sounds like someone needs a satellite phone! :D

    i'm actually considering getting one myself, at least once i rebuild my savings account after i move (Everett to Renton, in about 3 weeks) and pay for some needed car repairs... like you, i often go places where my cell doesn't work, and my daughter tells me i shouldn't be out there by myself with no way to holler for help if something bad happens... and since i'm not as spry as i was 30 years ago, she might have a point...
    ~ Rocky
    "Out where the rivers like to run, I stand alone, and take back something worth remembering..."
    Three Dog Night

    www.northwestnaturalimagery.com
  • squirl033squirl033 Registered Users Posts: 1,230 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2010
    have you explored Paradise River upstream from the lower parking lot there at Paradise? i've only photographed the lower river, down near Ruby Falls where the road from Reflection Lakes joins up with the road from Longmire... the upper portion of the river looks quite promising, though... some nice little cataracts and stuff. how far up does the trail go?
    ~ Rocky
    "Out where the rivers like to run, I stand alone, and take back something worth remembering..."
    Three Dog Night

    www.northwestnaturalimagery.com
  • Crystal EveCrystal Eve Registered Users Posts: 46 Big grins
    edited October 14, 2010
    Lovely!! 7 is my favorite :)
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  • TUeltzenTUeltzen Registered Users Posts: 148 Major grins
    edited October 14, 2010
    Great set with some awesome color. I like #5 the best.
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  • ksproulksproul Registered Users Posts: 56 Big grins
    edited October 15, 2010
    coscorrosa wrote: »
    cleardarksky.com is good, generally I use the NOAA hourly forecasts, I created a page with a bunch of links to the hourly forecasts of places I photograph often:

    http://coscorrosa.com/locations/

    Wow, that's a nice compilation of forecasts and other relevant links. I forgot to mention the Paradise webcams. I usually check those before heading out there too. The fact that there was one car in the visitor center parking lot on Sunday morning was a factor in my decision to head out there.

    Anyways, thanks for the info and link. I hadn't checked out the NOAA's hourly forecasts yet.
    Kris
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2010
    Great job Ron! That 6th one is spectacular!!
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  • coscorrosacoscorrosa Registered Users Posts: 2,284 Major grins
    edited October 15, 2010
    squirl033 wrote: »
    sounds like someone needs a satellite phone! :D

    i'm actually considering getting one myself, at least once i rebuild my savings account after i move (Everett to Renton, in about 3 weeks) and pay for some needed car repairs... like you, i often go places where my cell doesn't work, and my daughter tells me i shouldn't be out there by myself with no way to holler for help if something bad happens... and since i'm not as spry as i was 30 years ago, she might have a point...

    At least you'll be a lot closer to Rainier :) I actually need an internet connection (3G) for my laptop - it doesn't matter if I can talk to anyone :)
    squirl033 wrote: »
    have you explored Paradise River upstream from the lower parking lot there at Paradise? i've only photographed the lower river, down near Ruby Falls where the road from Reflection Lakes joins up with the road from Longmire... the upper portion of the river looks quite promising, though... some nice little cataracts and stuff. how far up does the trail go?

    I'm not sure, not as far as the Paradise loop road obviously. I've been probably 1/4 mile up from Stevens Canyon Road (that's where that polished river rock photo was taken). The Paradise River also intersects with the Skyline Trail (I believe Edith Creek and the Paradise River merge together somewhere south of the Skyline Trail).
    Crystal Eve wrote: »
    Lovely!! 7 is my favorite :)

    Thanks!
    TUeltzen wrote: »
    Great set with some awesome color. I like #5 the best.

    Thanks - I was still dry when I took #5 - that didn't last long :D
    Ron Coscorrosa

    Photo Gallery | Blog | I'm Unemployed!
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