One of the many things I miss about leaving California is the Sierra Nevada: a sanctuary of granite peaks where the barren skin of towering rocky outcrops rise from lightly vegetated valleys and the lush green meadows surrounding glistening alpine lakes. The North Cascades of Washington, being a bit younger, don't offer a similar landscape, and I had to drive far to search for one. But in the end, I did find one in one corner of the Pacific northwest, and I spent days traversing high mountain passes, rocky peaks, dusty trails, and of course, refreshingly cold alpine lakes.
In the Sierras, landscapes like these are a cathedral of light, whether it be the shadows from clouds moving across the landscape, or an afternoon thunderstorm that leaves behind a beautiful golden glow on the rocky landscape. I never realized until I got here how much I had craved this dynamic light as a photographer. And I was glad i could find it here.
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
OR USA