tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49036960887892118332012-01-23T20:23:48.047-08:00Welcome to my blog! Through it, I hope to provide more information about my photography as well as the story "behind the photos." My focus is on the landscapes and natural environment found in the Pacific Northwest.Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.comBlogger1401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-48129392652595052332012-01-22T16:27:00.000-08:002012-01-22T17:24:17.469-08:00

This past week brought us a newscaster's dream- Snowmageddon! Before that, however, was a week in which the Puget Sound was treated to a number of days with brilliant sunrises and sunsets. From here in Everett, the potential for great vantages of the Cascade mountains with the Snohomish River valley in the foreground exist but come with challenges. These views from publicly accessible locations

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-61996414664480729992012-01-11T20:46:00.000-08:002012-01-11T22:23:45.026-08:00

It's the new year and I have just a few photos to share from last weekend. I made a quick trip up into the North Fork Nooksack River valley for the first time this winter. As I suspected lower elevation snow doesn't really exist. Conditions are completely devoid of snow up until about 1,900 feet where snow patches begin. I visited two spots along the river before heading back down valley to the

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-13728738294530567692011-12-22T16:35:00.000-08:002011-12-22T19:53:28.730-08:00

2011 is quickly coming to an end and it's time to reflect. Last year was a very productive year, and I made many outings throughout the year. There was only problem- this pace was simply not sustainable. As 2011 moved along, I sought a greater balance between my photographic pursuits and the other things in my life. It's been a weird transition but it has helped removed some of the stressful

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-23738997626777005482011-12-12T22:34:00.000-08:002011-12-13T22:09:17.994-08:00

I can't believe that it's almost been a month since my last outing! Weather has thwarted some of my plans the last few weekends so this time I settled on something conducive to gray, overcast skies- waterfalls. I also wanted to see if there were any bald eagles yet along the North Fork Nooksack River so I headed for Mosquito Lake Rd area. At the bridge over the North Fork, I only found one eagle

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-15720688671855657112011-11-14T20:10:00.000-08:002011-11-22T21:56:21.776-08:00

The first "big" snow storm of winter came rolling through Washington State this past weekend. Based on the forecasts, I decided a trip back to Green Lake in Mount Rainier National Park might be in order. Besides, it's been two years since my last visit. This time, I opted to bring my mountain bike instead of hiking the 3 mile road to the trailhead.I actually wanted to do some photography down in

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-86715951179310381272011-11-01T23:15:00.000-07:002011-11-22T21:56:55.841-08:00

Based on last week, I knew peak color was probably past but I decided to head up the Highway 2 corridor to look for any lagging examples of color. The Miller River drainage was the destination this time since I've never visited it before. Below the West Fork / East Fork convergence, the valley is pretty much devoid of any color. Most leaves have fallen already. The West Fork Miller looks fabulous

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-52653388915351533872011-10-24T19:58:00.000-07:002011-11-22T21:57:22.162-08:00

Although somewhat late, fall color has definitely returned to the North Fork Nooksack River valley. This past weekend I headed up the valley to check out conditions at two locations- Mount Baker Highway near Church Mountain and the upper Wells Creek valley. My first priority was a neat spot I found which gives a commanding view of Church Mountain across the valley. A few years ago I noticed a

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-40688626158854632132011-10-17T12:26:00.000-07:002011-11-22T21:57:47.314-08:00

Fall is starting to appear here in the Pacific Northwest but so far we only have the morning fog and cooler temperatures. Friday evening saw a wonderful sunset over the Puget Sound and, with a developing high pressure ridge, I thought there might be a chance for a repeat performance. After debating where to go, I decided on the Park Butte area on the south side of Mount Baker. As it is, I'm one

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-57836537634058278742011-10-03T19:55:00.000-07:002011-10-03T20:26:18.777-07:00

Life has been decidedly non-photographic as I have been debating the merits of various roofing contractors but I did sneak away to explore more of the Money Creek valley in the North-Central Cascades. Fall color is just beginning here (and in general along the Highway 2 corridor) with just a hint of yellows in the Big Leaf Maples. The Vine Maples are showing more color with some nice reds and

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-26532067851198828082011-09-12T20:39:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:01:17.119-08:00

This past weekend, I had hoped to take advantage of the virtually full moon with a trip down to Mount Rainier National Park. I opted to head for a new location within the park and decided on Van Trump Park on the mountain's south side. The wildflower meadows of Van Trump Park have looked nice in photos I've seen and the viewpoint offered by Mildred Point also looked mighty impressive. The area

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-25667393755251147082011-09-07T22:08:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:02:30.845-08:00

Over Labor Day, I decided I wanted to attempt to visit the Bathtub Lakes located on the Pilchuck Mountain ridge east of the lookout. Also known as a "poorman's Enchantments," the Bathtub Lakes are a series of small tarns located in a subalpine parkland setting. There is no official trail to the lakes but the normal route to access them is via the Pinnacle Lake Trail. At the far end of Pinnacle

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-82846703586795386542011-08-15T20:06:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:04:20.851-08:00

My first connections to the Pacific Northwest began with a visit to the Carbon River valley portion of Mount Rainier National Park. My first visit to Green Lake as well as the hike to the snout of the Carbon Glacier left such an impression that I wanted to make this area my home. Through the years, I've made repeated visits to both. I had wondered about what lay beyond the glacier's snout and one

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-15161158995532346172011-07-31T15:52:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:05:00.178-08:00

It's been almost a full month since my last outing so to remedy this, I visited a little-known summit named Captain Point. I know *I* had never heard of it before this past week. I had been examining some aerial imagery looking for ideas for this weekend when I noticed the unbelievably green meadow just east of the Captain Point summit. The meadow has a southern aspect so, with this absence of

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-77545245713544765642011-07-03T18:19:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:06:10.005-08:00

If you've visited my photo galleries, you will notice that Mount Baker (and the Mount Baker area in general) is a favorite subject of mine. The vast majority of Mount Baker compositions are taken either from the north or from the south. The west side is seldom seen and for a good reason- access to viewpoints is severely challenged. While a forest service road (Road 38) provides some access to the

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-65292562525423547792011-06-23T22:35:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:07:20.464-08:00

Before heading home from my mini-trip to Oregon, I made my first visit to the Lewis River area in the South Cascades of Washington State. Located just southeast of Mount Saint Helens, the Lewis River has a number of waterfalls (including a few that are over 150 feet in height) and forest diversity that has always intrigued me. Prior to my trip I had identified a number of locations to visit

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-26939724929833927392011-06-19T21:15:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:07:40.987-08:00

After a day in the Gorge at Ruckel and Gorton Creeks, I spent the following day traveling around Mount Hood. My first destination was Tamanawas Falls which has been on my list for a year or two. Located on the east side of Mount Hood, the falls are an impressive 90 feet tall and plunge over a volcanic rock outcrop. The falls are also situated in a way that allows you to get behind them so that

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-42574413026074045272011-06-10T18:51:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:07:59.074-08:00

Last week I made my annual pilgrimage south to the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood area of Oregon. I don't need to spend a lot of time describing and praising this area- it has a reputation and a well deserved one for its amazing scenery. Despite holding out a few extra weeks this year, the Dog Mountain Balsamroot blooms just weren't going to coincide with my visit. Rain and a much delayed

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-9513005558914035092011-05-29T11:36:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:08:24.445-08:00

[NOTE: I need to clarify something since this post has been retweeted on Twitter- Money Creek is NOT within the Wild Sky Wilderness. My original plans for this day included exploring Lewis Creek which DOES extend into the Wild Sky Wilderness. Carry on!]I spent the first day of the Memorial Day weekend scouting some new areas up the Highway 2 corridor. My original destination was Lewis Creek, just

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-32104467555693144902011-05-22T22:10:00.000-07:002011-05-22T22:12:48.290-07:00

During the last two weeks, Twitter has been burning up with tweets about a recent change to the terms of service for Twitpic, the photo sharing service folks use in conjunction with Twitter. Long story short, Twitpic has begun a partnership with another company to provide user posted photos as royalty-free photos. By posting your photos with Twitpic, you are basically giving away your rights to

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-44909863864197943902011-05-13T21:18:00.000-07:002011-11-22T22:09:08.632-08:00

View Larger MapEvery year as spring takes hold, the 220 acre Washington Park in Anacortes becomes host one of the first wildflower displays of the year. The park may not be that well known to people outside of the Anacortes area but it sure is a gem. It's located just beyond the busy Anacortes ferry terminal and is located on a small penninsula, surrounded by the waters of the San Juan Islands.

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-42319302574501421872011-04-25T19:17:00.000-07:002011-04-27T23:05:05.738-07:00

An ironic title, given the title I used for last week's posting. In fact, as I write this, the snow level will dip below 1,000 feet again. All this just days from the month of May! Nonetheless, winter for me isn't over until the Mount Baker Ski Area season comes to an end and that finally happened this past weekend. A gorgeous day of sunshine was forecasted so sticking around after an afternoon

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-79258888787508706762011-04-21T20:54:00.000-07:002011-04-21T22:59:50.065-07:00

Ever since the calender made it official and told us that it's springtime, the weather has actually reverted back into winter. It's the 21st of April and snow levels are STILL dipping down below 1000 feet and we haven't had a single high temperature of 60 degrees. Thankfully I love winter! Coming into the weekend, I had some interest in shooting some scenes of skunk cabbage, one of the sure signs

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-10872534682259671062011-04-11T21:49:00.000-07:002011-04-14T22:08:58.461-07:00

This past weekend found me in Bend, Oregon attending two workshops put on by Oregon based nature and landscape photographer Sean Bagshaw whose work has long stood out to me amongst the deep pool of talent here in the PNW. Last fall, I discovered he was offering classes in processing of digital photographs and I became curious about the classes. Sean is based out of Ashland in Southern Oregon and

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-26802549816917944912011-03-26T13:26:00.000-07:002011-03-27T12:09:35.276-07:00

I recently ended a long quest to pick up my "wildlife"zoom lens. As a brand, Pentax has not kept up with developing long length zooms (or primes for that matter) for use in wildlife photography. The Pentax branded lenses out there hail from the end of the days of film and the FA series of lenses. For modern times, options are really limited to a few offerings made by third party lens developer

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-49959659780959323372011-03-11T18:42:00.000-08:002011-06-24T23:27:05.358-07:00

Twitter has been a really great social network to become part of. I've come to know and learn from a lot of photographers out there (both "pros" and amateurs alike). One of the traditions on Twitter is the act of "Follow Friday." As the name implies, twitter users list out the names of other twitter users whom they think people should know about (if they don't already). It's a really great way of

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-82019442838704148662011-03-06T10:38:00.000-08:002011-03-06T22:28:14.119-08:00

Things in the North Fork Nooksack River valley were looking more normal after what probably will be the last significant lowland snow event. My day up on the slopes at the Mount Baker Ski Area were unfortunately cut way short due to an equipment issue. I packed up and then headed back down into the valley to scout around. Razor Hone Creek has thwarted my efforts to reveal its treasures several

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-30502902873568724322011-02-27T12:47:00.000-08:002011-11-22T22:11:44.284-08:00

Deception Creek, that is. I didn't have much time this weekend aside from a half afternoon. A period of lowland snow and mini-cold snap made me consider a trip to the Deception Creek trail up the Stevens Pass Highway (US-2). I've been here before but that was in the summertime. I thought this would be a cool place to visit on a nice snowy day so I gave it a go.The biggest problem with going here

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-4907770439329644042011-02-21T11:33:00.000-08:002011-02-21T14:19:54.728-08:00

Lemons. Whattaya do you do with them??I was really looking forward to some plans I had made with a friend this weekend to return to the Ohanapecosh River valley in Mount Rainier National Park to revisit Silver Falls and possibly the Grove of the Patriarchs. We made this hike about two winters ago but I never made it across the hiking bridge to the closer viewpoint of the falls. Leading up to the

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-36144155846020460752011-02-13T14:53:00.000-08:002011-02-13T18:10:20.102-08:00

So there it is. One photo from this weekend.Pacific Northwesterners are an odd lot. Commercials like this wouldn't be so funny if it wasn't true. Anyways, I recently ordered a cross country ski package and after a lengthy delay due to the midwest snowstorm, it finally came. I was eager to try things out so I made plans with a friend to head up to the Salmon Ridge Sno-park. The Bagley Creek area

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-24389363963831312682011-01-31T16:22:00.000-08:002011-01-31T17:00:54.738-08:00

Not much of a story for this entry. Here's a variety of photos from another bluebird day up at the Mount Baker Ski Area and the North Fork Nooksack River valley. The river photos are from another new section of the river for me. A nice spot with some twists and turns in the river and the added bonus of a view of Mount Sefrit in the distance.

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-65475156395539873082011-01-24T20:27:00.000-08:002011-01-24T22:22:05.797-08:00

While Razor Hone Creek thwarted me yet again (there's a double waterfall drop I've been eyeing but it's dangerous to access), I was fortunate enough to enjoy some of the beautiful weather around the Mount Baker Ski Area and photograph some of the wild cloud formations that where trailing all around Mount Shuksan. It was a glorious bluebird type of day with unusually light crowds within the ski

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-24904471132193554112011-01-18T22:35:00.000-08:002011-01-18T23:30:23.008-08:00

...and I'm moving on. Sorry- couldn't resist the pun. This past weekend's weather brought a series of strong pineapple express weather systems. For those of you not from the Pacific Northwest, a pineapple express storm is one that originates from the area around Hawaii (hence the pineapple reference) and brings alot of moisture and high snow levels. These storms sometimes quickly follow snow

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-54401773387347017982011-01-07T22:00:00.000-08:002011-01-07T22:45:56.054-08:00

This is a photography blog but I came across something on the web that I felt compelled to share. The technology website Gizmodo ran a post called The Agonizing Last Words of Programmer Bill Zeller. I did not know who Bill was prior to reading this article but his story is truly heart-breaking, and I think a must read for everyone.The link above will take you to the article but, in short, Bill

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-70921429577330907622010-12-28T22:21:00.001-08:002010-12-28T22:27:55.933-08:00

Here are a few photos I took today from a gravel bar along the North Fork Nooksack River....

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-48389932742353908472010-12-24T21:40:00.000-08:002010-12-24T21:51:12.117-08:00

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who visits my website, blog, and follows me on Twitter. I enjoy sharing my adventures and photography with you and I'm very grateful for your interest. 2010 was a great year for my photography and I'm hoping that 2011 delivers even more.THANK YOU!Steve

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-72032853339918130952010-12-24T10:59:00.000-08:002010-12-24T16:43:13.873-08:00

View Larger MapI spent a brief amount of time down in San Diego in the days leading up to Christmas. The timing of my visit coincided with the end of a very strong “pineapple express” storm system. The Palomar Mountains in northern San Diego County received over 18” of rain during the past 7 days and many areas around San Diego received 4 - 6" of rain over the last 7 days. Not surprisingly, flash

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-25847612775403033742010-12-11T22:53:00.000-08:002010-12-12T21:27:26.910-08:00

My laptop is finally repaired so it's time to look back at 2010 and pick out my ten favorite photos from the year. Ok, well, make that ten PLUS 2 because it's always hard to limit it to just ten! I don't know how many photos I've taken during the last 12 months but about 450 photos have found their way here onto my blog. From that, I chose about 100 photos to add to the galleries of my website.

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-67745516004211048062010-12-06T22:35:00.000-08:002010-12-06T22:46:21.097-08:00

I've been out of sight for the last couple weeks after returning home from Banff. I'm currently in the middle of some serious home rennovating and, to top things off, my laptop's hard drive died last night. So, for the next 2 weeks or so, I'll probably continue to be on the sidelines until the dust settles and I restore and re-install what I need onto my laptop. Until then, I hope everyone has a

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-73970822539258665062010-11-14T10:53:00.000-08:002010-11-14T18:01:35.993-08:00

Having returned from my first trip to Banff, I had 450 photos to wade through. It has taken me almost a week to sort through them all and select which ones to process. But that was the easy part! I’ve had a hard time coming up with the write-up part. In some ways, the Canadian Rockies have some familiarity for someone who stomps around the Cascades. There are just enough common plants and trees

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-9821111947121634292010-11-09T13:12:00.000-08:002010-11-09T14:07:30.330-08:00

Just got home from my first trip to the Canadian Rockies and the lovely town of Banff. The Banff Mountain Festival is a great event and I'd highly recommend attending a future festival. Conditions were challenging due to active weather but I still managed to take over 400 photos during my brief 2 day stay in Banff. Needless to say, it will take some time to process and post the results!I was

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-17825734253683301262010-11-01T21:04:00.000-07:002010-11-01T22:40:01.427-07:00

Halloween is the last day that Wells Creek Road is accessible beyond Nooksack Falls until the following July 1st. I had to head into Bellingham to purchase my Mount Baker season pass so I decided to head up Wells Creek one last time this season. Fall color has been making a bit of an appearance in the lowlands so I was a little hopeful that I might see some of that up in the mountains.Most leaves

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-74856558259661016422010-10-24T17:18:00.000-07:002010-10-24T20:35:42.392-07:00

I thought I'd take a little time to talk about the "hidden" costs of upgrading your camera. I've had my Pentax K10d for the last two years or so, and during that time, Pentax has released two succeeding cameras: the K20d and then the K7. The K10d was meeting my needs and is a great camera at base ISO so I wasn't interested in upgrading. During the last year, however, I've began finding myself in

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-17945544833577923802010-10-18T22:27:00.000-07:002010-10-22T21:46:43.223-07:00

This spot has been on my list for awhile now. The sunny weekend just seemed to be the perfect reason for finally making a visit. Well, that and the new delivery of my Pentax K-5 SLR! After trying to learn all the menus and settings, it was time to try it out. The pass is somewhat unique in that two trails provide two very different hiking experiences. Most people hike up the front side using the

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-3317534230199968392010-10-13T22:40:00.000-07:002010-10-13T23:01:48.464-07:00

Fall is coming to a close and without much fanfare. The only good fall color this year has been up high and and on the east side of the Cascades. I've wanted to check out the larch fall colors since my premature visit two years ago to Maple Pass. I got a bit more excited when I learned that weather forecasts were calling for the first low snow levels of the season. I hoped I could combine the

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-60080645882790652142010-10-05T19:55:00.000-07:002010-10-05T22:11:38.006-07:00

I've made several trips to the Darrington area during the last month so I felt like looking for fall color along the Mountain Loop Highway between Barlow Pass and the Whitechuck River. Fall colors continue to be AWOL. Most maples are losing their leaves before they get to change their color. Along the rivers, the vine maples have dropped most of their leaves.The fall color that I've heard about

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-38061461874382053202010-09-26T19:06:00.000-07:002010-09-26T20:09:40.303-07:00

...but it's not very obvious. At least not in the North Cascades. After spending the day bouncing around the North Fork Nooksack River valley, I suspect that fall colors will be disappointing this year. Labor Day weekend was my last outing so I was eager to get out again. I decided to attempt to revisit a section of Ruth Creek with a friend in order to access some more difficult terrain that I

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-74911827885491177412010-09-06T19:01:00.000-07:002010-09-06T20:49:33.534-07:00

View Larger MapLabor Day marks the traditional end of summer but our weather must be “gifted” since signs of fall have been noticeable for as week or two. Weekend forecasts had been called for gray and showery conditions so a return trip to Bagley Creek with a friend was penciled in. My first visit was a quick one a couple weeks ago but the scenery was stunning and seemed to have potential for

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-3770086924811884422010-08-22T21:44:00.000-07:002010-08-23T20:37:46.610-07:00

Mazama Ridge is in prime wildflower conditions. I had loftier goals for this day but the weather forecast didn't come close to materializing. Though dry, the mountain was wrapped in clouds the entire day with only two brief windows of visibility. On my way to Mazama Ridge, I made a quick stop at Silver Falls along the Ohanapecosh River:I arrived at the Reflection Lakes area and geared up. A bit

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-44637160993900120742010-08-15T15:09:00.000-07:002010-08-15T18:36:49.120-07:00

Two weeks off of my trip to Spray Park, I returned to Mount Rainier hoping to find the wildflower season underway. Having been reminded of the Perseid meteor shower's arrival, I moved up my visit to incorporate some night time up at Sunrise. I arrived at the Sunrise area close to midnight and found quite the party atmosphere. Lots of people had the same idea about viewing the meteor shower. The

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-212535993948653992010-08-08T13:55:00.000-07:002010-08-08T15:53:55.430-07:00

It's the end of the first week of August and we're still waiting for the wildflower blooms at Mount Rainier. The forecast of clouds and rain negated any hopes of grand views or sunsets so it was back into the deep forests of the North Cascades. I originally thought about revisiting some locations in the Highway 2 corridor but I remembered that there were a number of "firsts" for me to still visit

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-47668528995999940492010-08-01T18:05:00.000-07:002010-08-01T19:43:46.637-07:00

Weather in the mountains can change very quickly. On this day, we were treated to one of these transformations as fog gave way to a glorious sunset in less than 5 minutes.Based on some internet reports about conditions, I decided to head down to Spray Park in Mount Rainier National Park to check out conditions and hopefully shoot sunset. I was able to convince a friend to join me on this

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-34000220508315163512010-07-25T13:57:00.000-07:002010-07-25T20:06:27.709-07:00

After a couple of weeks off, I was eager to get out again. I had wanted to return to Hannegan Peak several weeks ago but it wasn't in the cards. Hannegan Peak is a 10 mile roundtrip day with 3,500 feet of elevation gain. Once atop the peak, you are treated with tremendous views of the North Cascades, Mount Shuksan, and Mount Baker. Even before reaching the summit, the hike provides views of

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-6199461778214162552010-07-09T22:22:00.000-07:002010-07-09T22:40:26.731-07:00

I'm VERY excited to announce that my photo, "Forest from the Tree" has been selected for an Honorable Mention for this year's Banff Mountain Photography Competition! There were 2,500 hundred submissions and only 17 photos total were selected. The exhibition will take place from October 30th through November 7th at the Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta. In addition to this showing, the photographs

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-9541914111747221852010-07-04T15:41:00.000-07:002010-07-04T18:46:00.104-07:00

I spent the day before July 4th travelling around the North Fork Nooksack River valley. I was primarily interested in several waterfalls but I also revisited a small creek that I haven't been to in a while. The weather was perfect for photography (cloudy and dry) and was a mixture of success and setbacks. I had hoped to find a possible vantage point across from Nooksack Falls but that did not pan

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-64173083107783802982010-06-27T21:40:00.000-07:002010-06-27T22:10:59.283-07:00

I wasn't going to head out this weekend but decided I needed to get out after a very lengthy day of yardwork. Forecasts were stream and waterfall friendly so I decided to head up Highway 2 to check out a couple waterfalls in the Tye River valley. First, I decided to revisit a location from a couple weeks ago to re-shoot it under better conditions:Next up, Alpine Falls which is just east of the

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-53688076273712040112010-06-20T16:49:00.000-07:002010-06-20T22:22:17.988-07:00

Mountain forecasts called for showers so it was time for some waterfall photography. Using Bryan Swan's excellent Northwest Waterfall Survey website, I found an area in Mount Rainier National Park with a high concentration that was new to me. I originally wanted to visit this area last fall but the first snows of the year closed State Route 123 and my access. The area is the north end of the

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-7270836496096635722010-06-14T20:58:00.000-07:002010-06-15T22:53:45.325-07:00

I finally found myself bsck on more familiar ground this week after my trip to Honduras. I lost track of time recently so I spent the best day of this weekend framing my entry for next week's Edmonds Art Show (I'll save my original destination for next weekend). I still felt the need to get out so I headed out to the Foss River valley to explore some more.First up is a small creek that runs

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-85927563860883140832010-06-02T21:09:00.000-07:002010-06-09T16:02:46.736-07:00

View Larger MapThis past week was very different for me as I went on a tropical vacation. Admittedly, it's not my thing but I was accompanying my girlfriend to the wedding of her son on the island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras. The direct flights from Seattle were just too long so we decided to break things up by using Houston as a stopping point. From Houston, we had two flights using Taca

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-9075975437845246512010-05-25T22:02:00.000-07:002010-05-25T22:06:38.148-07:00

No update this week as I'll be out of town. I'm hoping that I'll have some photos to share from my trip..

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-6335796212148895242010-05-20T18:26:00.000-07:002010-05-20T18:32:35.940-07:00

I found out this week that my photo "Standouts" was accepted into the Juried Art Exhibit at this year's Edmonds Art Show. The show runs June 18th - 20th so if your in the area, stop by. It's free and there's plenty to see!..

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-85534151464849034362010-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:002010-05-18T22:02:38.899-07:00

The flipside of spending so long at Multnomah Creek was that it threw my schedule right out the window. I ended up having to pare back my very ambitious list of places to visit and made my way to one of the shorter trips on my list...Little Zigzag FallsView Larger MapFull descripton of the area is here on the Portland Hikers website. The trailhead is interesting since it's located at part of the

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-75114160019824521292010-05-17T21:45:00.000-07:002010-05-18T20:55:05.340-07:00

I've decided that a couple days in May down in the Columbia River Gorge area is a good thing and so I made plans to go down this past week. The actual date was a little earlier than I would have liked due to other committments. Originally, I started doing this in order to photograph the endless field of Arrowleaf Balsamroot that blooms atop Dog Mountain, I've since then chosen to expand my

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-25922065734536201232010-05-16T22:28:00.000-07:002010-05-16T22:35:00.530-07:00

I've returned from my 2 day trek down to the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood but have close to 400 photos to wade through. The weather did not go as forecasted so difficult lighting was present at every location I visited (i.e. sunny with no clouds!). I've gone through a fair amount of the photos but still have a ways to go. I should have a number of photos to share sometime this week!..

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-90587677805412440712010-05-11T19:00:00.000-07:002010-05-11T19:20:07.686-07:00

Making lemonaide again...Car troubles foiled my original plans (you should NOT have to replace a factory alternator at 48k miles but I digress) so I settled on exploring the North Fork Rapid River, upstream of the Rapid River Road bridge. Brilliant sunshine ensured horrible conditions for photography but trips like this are still valuable since they answer the question about the worthiness of

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-39760720215041573482010-05-02T12:34:00.001-07:002010-05-02T13:03:05.408-07:00

Spring weather in the Pacific Northwest will often hand you lemons so you'd better learn how to make lemonaide. I was making plans to climb Mount St Helens this weekend but the forecasts ensured that it would be a miserable experience. I decided to work with the grey skies and take a look at the status of wildflowers at Washington Park in Anacortes. I had heard that the flowers were pretty nice

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-81679670398215280662010-04-25T09:21:00.000-07:002010-04-25T09:27:29.493-07:00

For me, the official end to winter comes with the closing of the Mount Baker Ski Area at the last weekend of April. Of course, finishing winter with fresh powder and no lift lines is somewhat cruel but it's also a fine way to end a season. The month of May could shape up to be very busy for me since I have a number of photography ideas to pursue. It all (hopefully) starts next weekend!

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-91153507218803186312010-04-19T20:27:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:40:44.655-07:00

Hot off my photograpy seminar, I revisited Ruth Creek for some afternoon exploring. The brilliant afternoon sunshine didn't make photography that great but I wanted to try out some of what I learned as well as look for suitable locations to return to under more optimal conditions.Once again, I found a fascinating stretch of creek upstream from the Goat Mountain trailhead. The vegetation hasn't

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-8031616128291544742010-04-18T21:14:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:27:31.900-07:00

Magazine subscriptions typically come with "targeted" unsolicited mailings and a subscription to Outdoor Photographer is no exception. A couple months back I received a mailer for a one day nature photography workshop put on by John and Barbara Gerlach. It promised to cover a wide range of topics with respect to nature photography. I wasn't sure how much I would get out of it since it appeared to

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-39378066204304599222010-04-05T22:45:00.000-07:002010-04-06T19:33:12.554-07:00

15" of fresh snow and bluebird conditions in April at Mount Baker are hard to pass up. Here are some more shots from around the ski area. This time around I was more focused on small intimate scenes rather than grand views:On my way home, I stopped off at an unsigned trail which enters some beautiful old growth. I couldn't explore all of it but it had some interesting sights:

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-41477628244686025072010-03-28T15:12:00.000-07:002010-03-28T15:28:27.498-07:00

I didn't intend to do this but I ended up converting all of my photos taken during my visit to the Mount Baker Ski Area to black and white. The weather on this day was a bit weird- sunshine but with a constant thin, high layer of clouds. This really threw off any semblence of color so converting to black and white just made sense.

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-73458817751737349692010-03-21T22:32:00.000-07:002010-03-22T19:19:13.017-07:00

Good weather during the week convinced me to head up to Mount Baker's Heliotrope Ridge for sunrise. The morning's have also brought fog in the valleys so I thought I might be able to parlay that into an additional photo opportunity at the spot I found last weekend. Sunrise was about 7am so I worked the clock backwards- in place an hour before sunrise...an hour for the hike in...2 1/2 hours for

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-58804916162890234142010-03-14T12:53:00.000-07:002010-03-14T13:52:16.238-07:00

Truthfully, not much of an update. Winter decided to return this week so snow levels returned close to their normal levels. Exploring Forest Service Road 37 (the road to the Skyline Divide trailhead) has been on my list for a while and I finally got around to it yesterday. Honestly, I was surprised at the general lack of interesting spots along this road. Maybe it's because it's still the dead of

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-32906286612993030522010-03-07T20:48:00.000-08:002010-03-07T21:45:21.423-08:00

Two weeks ago, I spied some photos from a backcountry trip report from Boulder Ridge on Mount Baker which had the most amazing runnels I had ever seen. Life forced me to change my plans last weekend so I tried my luck this weekend. This winter's non-winter made this hike a late fall hike instead of a deeply committing winter expedition. Under sunny skies, I headed out along the trail and made

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-13268235946850519582010-03-02T21:11:00.000-08:002010-03-02T21:44:58.745-08:00

Are you a good photographer? How do you know?Sure, we all have friends & family that never fail to provide adulation and praise for the photos we take but how accurate is that praise? In order to keep progressing and develop (no pun intended) as a photographer, this is a question we need to ask ourselves. But how are we to answer this question?The internet provides one way for eliciting opinions

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-3432263283621821272010-02-21T16:43:00.000-08:002010-02-21T17:41:02.646-08:00

Another high pressure system brought clear, sunny skies for the weekend. It's been awhile since I've shot a sunset so I decided to set up on Kuhlsan Ridge near the Mount Baker Ski Area for the evening's show. Time got away from me during the day so I was running a bit behind schedule when I donned my snowshoes for the hike up to Artist Point. I topped out at Artist Point during the "golden hour"

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-28565479984191454142010-02-14T16:44:00.000-08:002010-02-14T17:16:16.023-08:00

I shouldn't be able to write this post but thanks to El Nino and this winter of "non-winter", I am. Mid February finds the North Fork Nooksack valley without a hint of snowpack until you hit 2700 feet of elevation. No snow means that normally buried roads can be driven so after a nice morning of fresh snow at the Mount Baker Ski Area, I drove to the Nooksack Cirque Trailhead. This should be a

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-57949657453901443572010-02-07T15:57:00.000-08:002010-02-07T16:39:07.969-08:00

I only had a portion of Saturday morning to take photos so I stayed closer to home and visited Index-Galena Road outside the town of Index. This particular road has been closed since the fall of 2006 when a major storm event re-routed a portion of the North Fork Skykomish River to flow down a half mile of the existing road. I've seen plenty of photos of the damage but this would be my first

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-3498360344334297872010-01-31T22:11:00.000-08:002010-02-01T19:41:20.595-08:00

A variety of photos from throughout the North Fork Nooksack River valley. First stop was the bridge over the Nortk Fork on Mosquito Lake Road. There was only one bald eagle that I could see but it was a lot closer than I'm used to seeing. These photos are approximately 50% crops of the full photo:Last is yet another location along the upper North Fork, just east of my previous explorations. I

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-70952089594608933462010-01-20T19:07:00.000-08:002010-01-20T21:52:37.821-08:00

The end of the MLK holiday weekend brought another uncharacteristic sunny winter day. I decided to take advantage of the clear weather and mild temperatures but stay little closer to home. My destination was the Foss River, which is just east and south of the town of Skykomish. I intended to hike the beginning stretch of the Necklace Valley trail but, as I drove along the Foss River Road (FS Road

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-84723628786457257542010-01-17T17:11:00.000-08:002010-01-17T18:48:24.248-08:00

By now, it should be apparent that I spend a lot of time scouting for new locations up in the Nooksack River valley near Mount Baker. It's such a large area but through research using aerial photos and maps, I've been able to identify some potentially nice sections of river that may not be that obvious. On this particular day, the morning was stunning thanks in large part to bluebird conditions-

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-49463193594050504482010-01-09T23:14:00.000-08:002010-01-10T10:05:05.866-08:00

An El Nino forecast of rain and a 5,000 foot+ snow level was forecasted for the weekend so I opted to revisit the forest alongside the Boulder River. I ended up having a springlike day with no rain and even some blue skies. The Boulder River and Boulder River Wilderness drain the slopes of Three Fingers and ultimately spill out into the North Fork Stillaguamish River east of Arlington. The river

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-64308087707877923332010-01-07T20:51:00.000-08:002010-01-07T21:37:55.647-08:00

I'm pleased to announce that this week I received the news that my photo "Horseshoe Bend" (Above) has been accepted into the 2010 Collective Visions Gallery (CVG) Juried Art Show. Located in Bremerton, Washington, the show runs during the month of February. It opens on the 2nd and runs through the 27th. If you're in the area, be sure and drop by to check it out!...View Larger Map

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-17413340996350004642010-01-03T16:59:00.000-08:002010-01-03T17:22:58.379-08:00

I returned to the North Fork Nooksack River to explore one of the many locations I've identified for potential photo opportunities. I actually took some photos in the forest located in this area last winter but did not have the chance to explore this section of river. As I'm discovering, one's exploration of the river is limited without the use of waders or even rubber boots!Here are a couple of

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-47920615838101194542009-12-31T13:01:00.000-08:002009-12-31T13:49:12.864-08:00

Now back in more familiar territory, I headed out to explore a certain stretch of the North Fork Nooksack River that I attempted previously. Before that, however, I decided to swing by a part of the river which was recommended as a bald eagle viewing area by users of a hiking forum. The location is the Mosquito Lake Road bridge over the North Fork Nooksack River bridge:View Larger MapOn this

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-21503047052426722812009-12-24T12:45:00.001-08:002009-12-24T12:49:24.737-08:00

If you look closely at my blog, you'll notice a new link in the upper right of the page. This past week I set up a Twitter account and will be using it to post updates and news about my photography. You can now follow me on my page at Twitter!

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-25942968442463227822009-12-24T12:41:00.000-08:002009-12-24T21:51:57.163-08:00

View Larger MapDuring the last several weeks, obligations have prevented me from getting out to take photos. I’ve been itching to get out and take photos but this week found me down in Southern California for Christmas with my family. I realized that I had some time to squeeze in a hike while down in San Diego so I decided to revisit a hike I had done almost 17 years ago: Cuyamaca Peak in

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-65012614892417672422009-12-15T20:57:00.000-08:002010-02-07T20:27:32.975-08:00

On one of the photography forums that I frequent, someone posted their "top ten" images for 2009. I thought that was a great idea so, in honor of the first full year of my blog, I went through my images and selected my top ten. It was very hard since I had such a tremendous year of growth thanks in part to this blog. So- in no particular order, here are my top ten images for 2009....1. Autumnal

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-38997766486182874862009-12-11T21:29:00.000-08:002009-12-11T22:53:17.206-08:00

I'm pleased to announce that the update of my photography website is now complete! The biggest update was adding the best photos from my trips throughout the year (which turned out to be over 60 photos). A few months ago, my web host, Smugmug, offered the option of using Bay Photo for print fullfillment. The biggest advantage of this change was the ability to finally offer true panoramic prints.

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-45244137323961089512009-12-06T22:23:00.000-08:002009-12-06T22:30:49.990-08:00

Unfortunately, there's no blog post this week as I've been working hard on updating my website. Along with the best photos from this year, I'll finally also be able to offer true panoramic prints with a new print provider. I should have it all wrapped up sometime this week!

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-22973783659468569332009-11-29T20:51:00.000-08:002009-11-29T21:11:13.823-08:00

Thanksgiving meal bloat laft me feeling a tad lazy so I just managed to explore another minor forest service road in the upper North Fork Nooksack River valley. I picked this location because of a couple of streams which bisected the road but those didn't quite pan out. Instead, I was drawn to a huge wetland complex that feeds the Nooksack..

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-14642720871073842072009-11-22T21:02:00.001-08:002009-11-22T21:10:41.536-08:00

I wanted to explore a new portion of the North Fork Nooksack River this weekend but the lack of a lower elevation snowpack made things too dangerous to continue. While in the general area, I decided to explore a different section of an unnamed creek that I've looked at before...

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-50419038021312204622009-11-17T21:28:00.000-08:002009-11-17T22:11:32.317-08:00

Another foolish weekend in the rain down at Mount Rainier National Park and along the Carbon River valley. I had some regret for NOT taking a particular shot last week so I decided to head back down to get it. Once again, the weather was steady rain and a complete challenge to keep my camera & lenses moisture free.This was the shot I noticed last week:I also took advantage of the hike in to

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-70803262428924406692009-11-07T23:00:00.000-08:002009-11-17T21:28:35.841-08:00

My first visit to Washington State was in the summer of 1992 and I spent a week with my best friend staying with his aunt and uncle. His uncle took us out on a few tourist type outings down to Mount Saint Helens and to Mount Rainier National Park. I was in awe of everything I saw but what left a lasting impression on me was a simple hike to Green Lake in the northwest corner of Mount Rainier

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-85656595616553764692009-10-25T18:24:00.000-07:002009-10-25T19:46:06.442-07:00

Having studied the weather forecasts, Saturday was projected to be a dry day as a lull between storm systems. The snow level would also drop so I figured some early snowfall shots might be in order. During my visit last week, I noticed a mountain just east of Jacks Pass which had red tinted meadow slopes near the summit. The mountain is named Frog Mountain and, from looking at maps, it could be

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-6139292723841627472009-10-25T12:55:00.000-07:002009-10-25T13:19:22.139-07:00

I wanted to do some additional exploration of the Beckler River area so I headed towards the Rapid River road. Surprisingly, the wonderful fall colors of last weekend were largely gone. In a week's time, lots of leaves fell and those that remained had morphed into more faded colors.

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-75242187453862040652009-10-20T21:12:00.000-07:002009-10-20T21:35:44.381-07:00

As I eluded to in my previous post, I was so encouraged by what I saw up and down the Beckler River valley that I returned the next day to spend more time exploring. Here are the results....

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-13136190346943776522009-10-18T19:31:00.000-07:002009-10-18T20:48:57.334-07:00

Despite the 100% certainly of rain, I ventured into the Cascades for a forest hike. The heart of the Central Cascades and the end of Forest Service Road 63 is what attracted my attention. At the end of that road are several trailheads: West Cady Ridge, North Fork Skykomish River, and Quartz Creek. Of those options, I decided on Quartz Creek after some research on the web. The normal access to

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-6865086591919057032009-10-11T22:18:00.000-07:002009-10-13T00:59:50.204-07:00

View Larger MapHoping for a third sunset in as many weeks, I decided to head south to Mount Beljica.Mount What??That's the reaction I seemed to get by everyone I mentioned this to. It's ironic since this is a location that's included in the 100 Best Hikes in Washington book. Mount Beljica is a small mountain located just outside the Southwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park and was the site

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-90643843729675207002009-10-04T12:55:00.000-07:002009-10-04T14:45:59.369-07:00

Earlier in the week, winter returned to the mountains. At Artist Point near the Mount Baker Ski Area, 4" of snow fell. My highly anticipated Lee Graduated ND filters also came this week after a lengthy production delay so I was eager to get out and try them. The unsettled weather from the week was forecasted to spill over into Saturday but, as Saturday morning developed, the weather looked MUCH

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4903696088789211833.post-55404826692203772492009-09-27T18:09:00.000-07:002009-09-27T19:54:15.765-07:00

View Larger MapThis past weekend brought one last "summer"-esque pattern of weather so I decided to find someplace to go for sunset. After researching some options, I decided to head out for Anderson Butte, which is located just along the perimeter of the Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness in the vicinity of Baker Lake. The site of a former fire lookout, it's accessed via a spur trail off of the main trail

Steve Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12801613871356346830noreply@blogger.com0