Leave No Trace

As the snow melts away from the higher elevations of the Cascades, it leaves behind glaciated mountains enclosing valleys filled with glistening lakes and delicate alpine meadows. Views like these await visitors who summit the high peaks and ridges, where, above the treeline, the grand montane vistas open up. Such accessible areas are few and far in-between, and the high visitation to these areas during the short hiking season has a heavy toll on the delicate flora and fauna that survive in the higher elevations of the Cascades.

So when you are planning your next trip into the high alpine terrain of the Cascades, make sure you follow the seven principles of Leave No Trace:

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare

2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces, and concentrate use on existing trails and campsites

3. Dispose of waste properly, and pack it in, and pack it out. And if possible, leave the place cleaner than when you arrived there.

4. Leave what you find, or as they say: take only pictures and leave only footprints

5. Minimize campfire impacts - create fires only where permitted

6. Respect wildlife

7. Be considerate of other visitors.

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA

Silhouetted by Sunlight

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The spines of a fraser fir stands along the ridgeline of one of Clingmans dome, silhouetted by the hazy morning light. Once a large grove of firs atop the dome, they were decimated by the balsam woolly beetle with efforts to repopulate ending in failure, and led to a drastic change in the montane ecosystem of the dome. Other vegetation still survives, with lower slopes dominated by deciduous trees that shed color every fall, and whose change of color attracts tourists from all over.

Driving up from the lower valleys where the colors had just started to change, to the upper reaches where most trees were reduced to their skeletons, one can experience a wide range of biodiversity exhibited by the Appalachians. The landscape around continues to change, primarily by the human pressure from population centers and industries on either side of the divide. But the higher you get, the less visible those changes are.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
NC USA

Black and White Sands

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A late afternoon dust-storm picks up fine sand from the dunes of White Sands National Park. This National Park, tucked within two mountain ranges of New Mexico, hosts the largest sand dunes made of gypsum sand that looks like snow, but flows like salt. Finer than regular sand, frequent windstorms easily pick up the pearl white dunes, erasing footprints of days past, leaving being sharp ripples that move every single day.

Due to the constantly shifting dunes, there are no fixed trails here, except for a series of markers for directional guidance. And even though they are small, it is easy to wander and get lost amidst the vast expanse of the dunes. But that shouldn't deter you from making a visit to this unique park in the desert southwest.

White Sands National Park
NM USA

Summer in the Cascades

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Who is excited for the summer?

With the ultra-warm temperatures last week, it almost felt like summer in the Pacific Northwest. And even though mountainscapes like this would be inaccessible for quite a few more months, I feel like I am ready for more adventures in the wilderness areas of Washington.

This specific image was taken a few summers ago, right at the cusp of fall where smoke from nearby fires lent a hazy atmosphere on a crisp summer morning. The open terrain above the treeline, dotted with glistening lakes and panoramic vistas of the North cascades, is really a wonderland that I hope will be incorporated into the National Park System.

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA

Monkey Face

At first glance, I was struggling to see why Monkey Face had its name. This pillar of rock, detached from the rest of the crags on the steep western slopes of Smith Rock, didn't resemble anything like a monkey. I could see why it would be an interesting challenge for climbers, evidenced by the gasps and squeals of the rock scalers at that moment - it is certainly a unique rock to climb, but there were more challenging cliff faces all over the park to test the mettle of any climber.

I kept pondering over this as I tried to compose the grand landscape of Smith Rock framed by the lenticular clouds over the distant volcanoes, and the sinuous curves of the Crooked river. It wasn't until I wandered down from the lookout and got a different perspective of the rock did I realize why it had such a name. From this new angle, the shape of a monkey's face materialized into view, a sharp silhouette formed by the setting sun.

Just as in photography, life often requires a change in perspective to visualize something different even within same old surroundings: a new routine to start your day, a new way to measure and track your goals, or a new way to value the things that matter to you. With a curiosity to indulge in new adventures, and the willingness to accept new changes, these changes in perspective enable you to experience a new life.

Smith Rock State Park
OR USA

Waiting for a Frozen Sun

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I left the hotel with the mercury exactly at 0C/32F. And as I drove up to the rim of Crater lake on that cold dawn, I saw the needle dropping further and further, finally settling at -9C/16F. I was hoping it wouldn't get any colder as I wasn't even prepared for subzero temperatures.

But it did. As I stepped out into the biting cold, I felt a freezing wind gush from the depths of the lake up the snow-covered slopes onto the icy pavement. Even with all my layers on, I was chilled to the bone. My fingers froze in an instant, despite two layers of gloves. And for this pain, all I got to see was a thick layer of fog streaming over the entire surface of the lake, reducing visibility to mere feet.

And so I waited, hoping for the rising sun to push the fog away and reveal a glorious sunrise. But it wasn't to be. Instead, the fog lifted off a small portion of the lake, revealing a patch of bright light on an otherwise gloomy grey vista.

Some days, you are lucky, and some days you aren't. Today wasn't one of those, but unless you try, you never know.

Crater Lake National Park
OR USA

Lost in Badlands

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I never really grasped the size and the sense of scale of the country while flying from coast to coast. It was during my two road trips across the nation that I really learnt to appreciate the vastness and dramatic diversity of the nation. From driving through the monotonous undulating cornfields of the Midwest to traversing the glacier-capped Rocky mountains, the spine of the country, each day presented unique stories and uncovered hidden gems.

Badlands National Park was one such gem. I really hadn't paid much attention to this park tucked along a long remote stretch of an interstate, until I actually drove past it. Curiosity soon got the better of me, and I snuck into the park to better appreciate this parks' unappreciated wonders. This one image captures the essence of it: strata of rock showing vast diversity in colors and patterns that I have not really seen anywhere else.

Badlands National Park
SD USA

The Shimmer of Snow

Have you ever stopped to notice the sheen of light on the undulating snow. It is not a sight one encounters everyday, and I happened to chance upon such a scene while slogging back towards the trailhead after a long day out in the snow. The light, filtered by a thin layer of clouds, was soft, and gently highlighted the smooth slopes. A plethora of tracks wound through this undisturbed snow, and yet, there were vast unspoilt patches remaining this late in the day.

A few groves of pines stood steadfast, acting as waypoints on this vast landscape of endless mountains. These framed this vast alpine scenery as I encountered it.

Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA

The Eclipse of 2017

2017 was a memorable year for many reasons, but watching a total eclipse tops that list. I still remember driving the day before towards the town of Madras, to a campground (which was really farmland let to fallow) right on the path of totality. I wandered into the town, walking right into the heart of an eclipse-themed carnival. After having had my fill of that atmosphere, I got back to the campground, which had swollen in numbers stretching over the entire open field. The people here were eagerly awaiting in anticipation of the big event of the next day.

Morning dawned and the crowd slowly gathered around to catch a spot of open ground to shoot the eclipse. The sky gradually cleared up of the clouds left over from the night with the rising temperature. Groups of astronomers from as far away as Poland had set up their armada of telescopes catering to different spectra and magnifications for viewing the upcoming eclipse. Meanwhile, I only had two cameras that I jerry rigged to carry mylar filters, along with a eclipse-shade for myself. I had set the cameras up to shoot at a specific interval so that I could go and watch the eclipse through one of telescopes belonging to the neighboring tent.

Soon, a chorus of sounds went around the campground as we observe the first contact of the eclipse. As the eclipse progressed, the size of the solar disc kept reducing, leading to a drop in temperature as well as the volume of the songs the passarine birds lowering to ominous levels. And then totality hit the area, and it was a spectacle like no other. A hushed silence pervaded the area, with everyone engrossed by the dance of the plasma in the coronal stream. And soon after the famed Baily's beads appeared, transforming the sun into an celestial diamond ring. A cacophony of screams, joyful gasps of delight and a chorus of claps spread around the area, with everyone feeling thoroughly blessed by the scene.

Its funny that even though eclipses that are predictable to the exact time and location, they still inspire an awe in every person who watches it. Perhaps there are some instincts leftover from our genetic past that still prods us to observe this celestial dance in rapt attention. As for myself, I can't wait long enough to see the next one

Madras
OR USA

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This is the Pacific Northwest

As the temperatures finally start warming, and the daylight hours extend to the better side of bearability, I can finally start planning for the summer hiking season. Though short, the four month window of summer is the main reason that I put up through the drudgery that is the long and gloomy winter. Endless mountains ranges dotted by glacier-capped volcanoes, breathtaking scenery with innumerable hidden hiking destinations, and glistening lakes surrounded by swaths of wildflowers, all make the summer a refreshing escape for the mind and a rejuvenating experience for the soul.

I can't wait to get out again.

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest

WA USA