I almost didn't get this shot.
It was getting dark and cold at the summit of the peak near Mt Baker. My shoes, having been soaked in slushy snow for the better part of the evening, was starting to freeze over. And I didn't relish the thought of walking down on snowy trails in pitch black.
But last light of twilight wasn't done yet. As a dark blue hue enveloped the sky from the eastern horizon, the western sky transitioned from bright yellow to a deep orange the likes of which I had never seen before. And against this backdrop, the unmistakable cone of Mt Baker rose up framed by a gradation of colors. And I knew I had to stop and get this.
Mt Baker Wilderness
WA USA
Summer Memories
Everyone is excited about the colorful season of Fall coming up, where nature puts on a show before she finally settles down for the winter. Perhaps we can spare a moment for the balmy days of summer spent lying down on a green grass meadow watching the wispy clouds flutter away. Watching the fleeting patterns of clouds reminds me of bucolic summer days of years past, a time of carefree life and trivial experiences.
This particular area of Palouse brought back those memories, and I tried to render it as I imagined in my minds eye.
Palouse
WA USA
A Message of Love
Far in the north, on the land border between United States and Canada, lies three iconic peaks rising one after the other: Mt Larabee, the American Border Peak, and the Canadian Border Peak. In between the latter two peaks the border line cuts straight through the rugged landscape. The line is not just an imaginary concoction present only in maps of the continent, but an actual clear-cut of the forest, over and above mountain passes and across steep valleys.
The border dividing the two countries represents not only the differences in nationalities, but in the recent days, even differences in democracy and the rule of law. But the people on both sides of the border are still the same. I found a heart shining brightly in the evening light, symbolizing the love the people on either side have for each other.
Mt Baker Wilderness
WA USA
The Curtains Reveal
Precisely a year before this image was taken on the eve of the Fall equinox, I had climbed up Fremont peak at Mt Rainier during a cloudy afternoon. The lookout at the summit had been socked in dense fog, reducing visibility to mere yards. And when all hope seemed lost, the inversion layer dipped below, and I was witness to one glorious sunset above the clouds.
I was hoping to repeat that this year, and with the dense smoke having finally receded, I was eagerly looking forward to a return visit. However, fire damage had temporarily closed the main access road to the area, and I turned to the next best fire lookout in the Mt Rainier area.
I started the hike in high spirits despite the foggy weather, hoping that the clouds would lift up just like last year. But as sunset approached, the snowy summit of Mt Rainier barely managed to peek through the thick fog rolling over the lookout. The glimpses of the inversion layer kept teasing me, prolonging the agony in the freezing cold. And just as I was about to turn around barely 30min before sunset, the clouds lowered.
I was now dropped into an ethereal landscape with the mist still clinging onto the nearby ridges and peaks, while the summit of Mt Rainier, towering over an alpine lake, managed to catch the last bit of alpenglow.
Mt Rainier National Park
WA USA
Underneath the Bonsai
The Autumn equinox heralds the arrival of Fall in the northern hemisphere, a season of crisp weather that transforms foliage from green to a vibrant orange, leading to perhaps one of the most beautiful synchronized show of colors in nature. Where I grew up, seasons like these didn't really exist; it was either hot and humid summers or a mildly warm winter. And hence, when I first encountered these autumnal colors (in the hilly Appalachians), I could not help but stare in wonder at it.
Since then, I look forward to fall every year. Despite the fact that it heralds the upcoming dreary winter (in the Pacific Northwest), I try to make the most of the short time when nature puts out her best colors. One such place where I seek these colors out are the Japanese Gardens in the PNW. The combination of the beautiful aesthetics, along with a microclimate that mirrors Japan, these gardens are a visual spectacle in autumn. This composition reflects the contorted trunk of a dwarf Japanese maple tree that attracts thousands to the Portland Japanese Gardens
Portland
OR USA
Skyfall
From the time of childhood, I had been exposed to the wonders of the night sky, starting with the lullaby Twinkle twinkle little star. And that fascination with the night sky continues to endure to this day, where with every backcountry trip I take, I look forward to staring at awe at the starscape that forms every night.
This trip to the Sawtooth wilderness was no different. Apart from being a fascinating place to explore a new environment, the lack of any light pollution provided a prime opportunity to indulge in this passion. And the Sawtooths delivered like no other. Tracking the band of light that stretched across the sky, I tried to capture the swirling masses of spectral clouds at the heart of the Milky way that seemed to illuminate the light of a thousand suns. Right at that moment, a bright (possibly) Perseid meteor scintillated just above the jagged outline of the Sawtooth range.
Sawtooth Wilderness
ID USA
Glacier Wilderness
Ever since I had seen this image of Glacier Peak, I knew I had to make it there. It isn't easy to get there: it takes a 44 mile backpack up and down multiple mountain passes to get this vista. The long weekend before smoke enveloped the region proved the perfect opportunity to undertake one of the toughest backpacks I had ever done.
But this stretch goal of mine was made more challenging by 1: my water filter clogging up on day 2 (I relied on boiling water/borrowing from other hikers), and 2: a fire triggered by the heat wave on day 3, forcing an urgent 10mi hike back to the trailhead in the dark (for a total of 22mi on day 3). Nevertheless, it was one of the most exhilarating and exhausting treks I had done in a while.
On Day 1, I hiked 10 miles from the trailhead ascending 3600 ft, made more tiring by the fact that I had under 6hrs of sleep the previous night. But being the first day of the trek, my spirits were held high by the landscapes I was yet to encounter. I camped by the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast glacial valley, completely burnt out from the long day.
12 miles of hiking on day 2 up and over three mountain passes brought me to the destination I sought for shooting Image Lake. It was probably the most challenging day of the 4-day trek, and yet I was excited to get to this location. I beelined to the sunset spot after dinner, where I ran into Sonja Saxe and Alex Spaeth setting up for shooting through the night. This particular composition was from the colorful sunset that evening, where I framed with a few late-blooming western pasqueflowers.
I woke up in the wee hours of dawn on the prophetic Day 3, where we were rewarded with one of the most beautiful sunrises over Glacier Peak. We could not get ourselves to leave the epic scenery, but with 10 more miles of hiking left, I left the place with a heavy heart. After more uphills and downhills, I finally ended up at the destination for the third night, where I set up for a relaxing evening overlooking Glacier Peak.
But the evening bliss was not to be. Smoke from a nearby fire soon enveloped the camping area. Fearing fire, the camping area nearly evacuated. I started right at sunset, and that meant hiking 10 miles in pitch black with just the headlamp lighting the way. It was with sheer willpower that I made it back to the trailhead past midnight, notching more than 22mi with a full pack. The sight of parked cars was a welcome relief after close to 5 hours in the dark.
As amazing as the photographic opportunities were, the challenges I endured in this backpack were not something I would want to repeat in a while.
Glacier Peak Wilderness
WA USA
Almost Fall
Fall is almost here. I definitely feel blessed to be living in a place where the change of colors heralds the change of seasons
A spur of the moment last-minute trip late in the fall of 2016 led a group of friends and I to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It took us from the concrete jungle in the industrial region of Michigan to a wild landscape turning gold for the winter. We thought we had missed the peak of the colors, but the golden trees told us otherwise.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
MI USA
Lost in Granite
In the summer of 2015, I had embarked on one of my most challenging backpacks in the Eastern Sierras, on a 55-mi route that wound through the Evolution and Dusy basins. Granite escarpments ringed by towering alpine peaks surround a broad basin filled with glistening lakes. Set in a remote region of the John Muir Wilderness, these places are a haven for landscape photography.
I tried to capture in this panorama what it really is like to be immersed in such a rugged landscape. But nothing can replicate the feeling of really being lost in the granite.
Kings Canyon National Park
CA USA
Summer storms
The dry barrenness of the Eastern Sierras, in the rain-shadow of a range reaching upwards of 14000ft, seems to harbor no interesting weather phenomena except balmy sunny skies or grey snowy conditions. But occasionally, rainclouds creep up and over the towering peaks and descend down onto the rolling plains below. And when that happens, an afternoon thunderstorm forms over the vast open landscape.
I was fortunate to catch the tail end of one as it was dissipating, but still managed to have enough mass to catch the evening light.
Inyo National Forest
CA USA