We head to the high mountains in mid summer to scout for wildflowers
The weather in northern Washington state the past few weeks—brilliant sunshine and cloudless blue skies—has been terrific for most activities, but not photography. Sunny days create a combination of deep shadows and bright highlights that give photos a harsh, overly contrasty look. A bit of cloud cover with softer light is better for the kind of photography we do at Iris Arts.
We planned an outing in the mountains, but that day broke sunny and clear. Knowing that conditions were not great for photography, we decided to head out anyway and simply hike, enjoy the mountains, do a bit of photographic scouting for when the light was softer.
Our planned route would take us up and over a high pass in the North Cascades—a 1400 foot ascent to the pass and a 700 foot descent to Iceberg lake. We would return the way we came—4200 feet of elevation change in six or seven miles!
The route began at the upper right corner of this map, followed a trail to Iceberg Lake, and returned the same way. The contour lines are very close together—meaning the land is very steep. USGS Topo map.
Despite the patches of snow on the ground, it was about 70ºF at the start. The trail began as a fairly level walk along a lake, then climbed up and through an ancient rockfall that was at its angle of repose. It was steeply uphill all the way to the pass.
Viewed from well above Bagley Lake, the trail is visible as a thin line at the center right of the photo, just before it ascends the huge rockfall. The pass is the low point on the distant ridge at upper center left. Cell phone photo by D. J. Rommes
Beyond the rockfall, multiple streams flowed down gullies. Bordered by plants and flowers, the streams ran in the channels they created and dropped noisily, eventually emptying into the lake below. We stopped multiple times to rest.
Just beyond the rockfall (foreground) about halfway to the pass, we rested on the trail as there were no flat places to sit. Snow lingers in Mid-August.
One of our stops was alongside a slightly more level section of a braided, shallow stream. Water flowed around rocks and the thin soil supported a luxuriant growth of moss and pink and yellow monkey flowers.
I made a few cell phone photos. Nancy got out her small camera for a couple of hand-held shots. Later, I got out the miniature tripod I brought and my own lightweight camera. I was able to mount the camera on the 6 inch high tripod and secure it atop a larger boulder to take a photo of the flowers.
Nancy focusing on the monkey flowers in the small, braided mountain stream.
Moss and monkey flowers find a home in the marshy areas of the stream bed. Cell phone photo by D. J. Rommes.
Eventually, we made it to the pass and were treated not only to a great view of the glacier-carved valley we just climbed, but to the valley, lakes, and mountain on the other side of the pass.
View from the pass. Mt Baker is the glacier-covered mountain in the distance. Iceberg lake is in the lower center of the photo—700 feet below. Cell phone photo by D. J. Rommes
We followed the steep trail down towards Iceberg lake and explored other, smaller lakes in the vicinity. Then we turned back. By the time we were back at the pass, our legs were tired of climbing and we were looking forward to a descent. But that wasn't easy either. The trail was irregular and littered with stones that required constant stepping over rocks and careful foot placement. Halfway down, my legs were trembling.
Hillside wildflowers (lupine) just above the lake in late afternoon sun. Cell phone photo by D. J. Rommes
Bagley lake is the source of this wide stream that continues down valley. The car is another mile or two further. Cell photo by D. J. Rommes
Eventually, we were back at the lake where the neighboring slopes were dotted with blue lupine. The last leg of the trip took us alongside a stream and another lake before we finally reached the car.
It was a great hike, but no photos for Iris Arts—at least one that I have ready. I did see some possibilities for future wildflower photography however—when the conditions are right. But I will have to wait for my legs to stop trembling before I even think about going back.
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