Nurse Log | 2014 Highlights

This isn't a particularly epic photograph. It's pretty simple, but to me it screams Pacific Northwest. A mossy old nurse log with baby evergreens and berry bushes is a common sight on the western slopes of the Cascades, with our moist climate and tall, shading trees. There's a beauty to old forest nourishing new life.

My inspiration for this photo came from a friend who does trail work in the summer for the US Forest Service in Montana, and says she misses our mossy forests. This particular log is along the short trail to the base of Big Four Mountain and the view of the famous Big Four Ice Caves. 

Summer at Shuksan | 2014 Highlights

Picture Lake is a classic spot. According to the US Forest Service, this is one of the most photographed mountain scenes in North America, in fact it's hard to find a Washington calendar that doesn't feature this view. My friend told me that a few years ago her parents visited a gallery near Yellowstone, and the photographer was trying to pass this scene off as from the Rockies. Nope, this is in our lovely Cascades.

Because this place is so frequently photographed, I wanted a fresh take. Traditionally this scene is shot in the fall when the leaves are turning colors. The result is absolutely gorgeous, but very common. This image is from a lush, verdant midsummer evening. We were very fortunate to make the drive on a calm evening with such a perfect reflection, and I was really surprised I was the only photographer there on this Friday afternoon. We returned at sunset after a hike near Artist Point, and there were a few others set up at the lake. I like this image much more than the ones I got that evening. The scene was still beautiful, but there was less drama as the clouds had dissipated by sunset.

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Evening at Shuksan

We climbed Mount Shuksan in 2013 and I thoroughly enjoyed staring down at Picture Lake from its summit, a perspective less frequently seen. I never tire of this mountain, in fact Mount Shuksan might be my favorite peak. We realized recently that from I-5 in Everett you can see the top of Mount Shuksan just to the right of Mount Baker. I definitely plan on returning sometime at peak fall color, but I'm not sure I'll like the image more than this one.

Seattle Skyline | 2014 Highlights

Last January when I heard that downtown was decked out in green and blue I really wanted go see it, and one Monday night I found the time. With the wind blowing the flag was visible, and the dark sky make the colors stand out. I took close up shots of the Space Needle as well, but I loved the view of so many downtown buildings lit up with blue and green.

I was amazed at how a sports team seemed to bring much of the city, and state, together. Even friends of mine who normally loathe football jumped on the playoff bandwagon, and I didn't see many diehard fans unhappy about these newcomers joining the ranks for a month.

Maybe we'll get a repeat this year.

Larches and Mount Ingalls | 2014 Highlights

Taken while hiking back to the trailhead from Lake Ingalls, this view was unexpected but very welcome. We hiked the trail to the lake to then scramble up Mount Ingall's southern summit, and weren't even thinking about the fall larches until we were a few miles along the trail and started to see one, then a few, then an entire hillside of them. The day was relatively cloudy, and this was taken as we were headed home. The sun had decided to make an afternoon appearance.

We didn't originally make the trip to see the larches, but other hikers certainly did. The trail to the lake was busy, in fact it was incredibly and almost uncomfortably busy. Thankfully after turning off the main trail to scramble our way up the mountain we found some peace and quiet. As we left we found cars parked a half mile down the forest road. I don't know that I will do this hike again at this time of year, if I do it will be on a weekday, because the view is spectacular.

Shi Shi Sunset | 2014 Highlights

The coast was clear. The coast was clear and the inland was cloudy. This was taken on Martin Luther King Day, my husband was thankfully willing to accompany me on this crazy adventure. I wanted to drive out to Shi Shi, hike the muddy and sandy trail, watch the winter sunset, and then walk back in the dark, catch the last ferry, and go to work the next day. He is so amazing to do these things with me.

I had never been to this beach before. We used the northern access through the Makah Reservation, and their trail was beautifully maintained right up to the Olympic National Park boundary, where there are rope lines and a steep descent down to the beach.

We started hiking back just after the sun dropped over the horizon, and made it to work on time the next day.