The summer has been a bizarre one in the Pacific Northwest. First the region was baked under a historic heat wave that melted snow off the summits of the North Cascades Peak, which triggered wildfires in varied regions across the west. And when the region normally suffers an unending deluge of smoke, the winds shifted direction and started cooling down. Rain showers, common during the summer, were few and far in-between. And in addition, the increase in local travel this year meant many of the easily accessible backcountry locations were far more crowded. These changes necessitated rethinking my hiking strategy, including skipping favored destinations in search of more off-beat ones.
I am glad I found a few, including this one that transported me to the Swiss alps. But with the season slowly coming to a close, I wonder what the winter, and next year, holds in store for this changing landscape.
Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA
Granitescapes
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
The Great Escape
The summer has been a constant challenge of struggling to balance life and work, and seeking to find those voids where I could quickly retreat to the outdoors. Not only do these trips help provide a breathing room in our busy lives, but a whiff of greenery has boosted our morale which had taken a hit over the last few months of a stressful pandemic season. In a way, these trips where we climb high above the urban landscape, is symbolic of our struggles to forget them momentarily and to lead our lives with the simplest of needs: food, shelter and clothing.
I hope we get to continue doing these, if only to remind us that the machinations of everyday life are not the only things to live for
Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA
Winter is Coming
Winter is coming
At one point in time, it seemed that the entirety of the Pacific Northwest was being engulfed in wildfires. It felt like the doomsday predicted by the warming climate was getting closer with each passing day. However, that doomsday prophecy has now shifted to California which has more than its fair share of wildfires.
During these warm and balmy days, I often reminisce the cool and wet days of winter, when snow blankets the entire Pacific Northwest, with both valleys and mountaintops taking on a bright white sheen. On such crisp winter days with sunny skies, I sought out vistas of the snow-capped landscape from high atop the Cascades. It was quite a struggle to trudge through knee deep soft snow to climb above the clouds, but in the end, cool vistas like the above make it worth it
Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA
Escaping Civilization
I climbed high above the smoke-filled valley, away from the maddening sounds of civilization, and towards the alpine ridge to catch a breath of fresh mountain air. It was a couple of hours of concerted effort in increasingly warming temperatures to cut above the treeline, but it was effort that was worth the rewards - including the grand vista that you see above.
Sure, I could have stayed at home, watched the telly, planned for my next trip, or enjoyed the creature comforts that we are so used to. But pushing myself to hike to these spectacular destinations helps me realize that just as in nature and in life, hard work is the price for success, and the satisfaction in achieving success lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Every decision we make is a conscious choice on the path we carve for our life, and let it be a thoughtful one.
Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA
Wilds of Alaska
I have always hiked in sanitized wilderness, an oxymoronic term referring to the fact that I have been treading on trails established long ago, following routes and maps that I scope out with the help of a convenient smartphone. I camp on surfaces that have seen tents established by many others, and see sunsets at locations seen by many others. This trip into Lake Clark National Park was the first time that I walked on a path that hadn't even been created, followed maps that gave no clarity on the route I was taking, drank water straight from snowmelt, and camped on places that hitherto hadn't seen a tents in years.
And along that journey, I bushwacked through dense thickets of willows, tumbled on tussock and scrambled up alpine slopes to seek out the next valley. It wasn't easy, but it gave a taste of a wild Alaska. I hope to return back someday to experience a full meal.
Lake Clark National Park
AK USA
Mountain Summer
The month of July in the Pacific Northwest is typically characterized by balmy weather and sunny skies, with just the occasional shower to keep the temperatures at a reasonable level. The Cascades still retain a bit of their winter snowpack while down below, meadows take their summer green coat and burst with wildflowers. This year though, was a tad different. By late July, the Pacific Northwest had already endured two months of dry heat, thanks to the heat dome. Without any precipitation, wildfires spread far and wide, and their smoke spread through most of the Cascades. The heat also caused most of the snow capping the volcanic peaks to melt away and reveal the dirty understory. It didn't take long for us to realize it wasn't a normal summer.
The mercury has certainly dropped in August, but the smoke is still hanging on, and during one of the clearer weekends, I caught sight of the characteristic volcanic cone of Mt Baker rising high above the green meadows and wildflowers of the North Cascades ranges
Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA
Summer on the Bay
I had hardly expected Juneau to be bathed in summer light. With an average of 280 cloudy days every year, I counted my blessings to be in Juneau on the one day when I could see the sun for more than 18 hours continuously. So I took that opportunity to explore the length and bread of the roadway network in the capital city of Alaska. Fortunately, it wasn't a lot - Alaska's Route 7 runs a mere 39miles north from the capital.
Hugging the coastline, the route provides expansive views of the mountains of Glacier Bay across the Favorite Channel (whose favorite channel was this?). And on this balmy summer day, with snow still dusting the high peaks across the channel, it was relaxing to watch the local crowd enjoying the few hours of sunshine.
Juneau
AK USA
March of the Mushrooms
Having spent most of my life in places surrounded by mountains, the thought of seeing vast open spaces, or in common parlance, 'big sky country' was limited to my visits to National Parks along the eastern edge of the Rockies and the long drives across in the Great Plains. I remember my first glimpse of such a sky while hiking up to a mountain vista in Glacier National Park and looking east into the vast undulating hills of Montana. I remember seeing the land and sky stretch endlessly to the blurred horizon. The great machinations of industrial agriculture, barns, silos, harvesters and tractors were but mere dots on this landscape, where even mile long grain trains seemed like tiny caterpillars crawling across the earth.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park was another place where I got to experience this big sky country. And on that fateful day, the sky was made even more dramatic by the appearance of a chain of nascent cumulonimbus clouds stretching across the badlands and the great plains beyond. I tried to capture the light falling on the precipitation from the middle of these thunderstorm cells as they resembled mushrooms marching across the parklands.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
ND USA
Mornings in the Mountains
Every time I camp in the mountains, I look forward to the colorful sunsets and the dramatic sunrises. And when the conditions are right, I sometimes wake up to the classic Cascade sunrise where sunlight pours over the endless ranges of silhouetted mountain ranges. And in the next few hours, the pale orange sky and warm silhouettes slowly transform to a clear blue sky, where the rays stream between the gaps in the ridges and the valleys. Meadows that were in the shadows at dawn, slowly take on the lush mid-day green, and splashes of colors from vibrant fireweed and bright parsnips highlight the scene.
There are few places still in the North Cascades where this vision of a lush summer can still be experienced. I was glad to get experience one this summer season.
Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA