Landscapes

A Midsummer Sunset

A Midsummer sunset.jpg

One of the many things I didn't realize about going to Alaska was that, as the day grows longer in the higher latitudes, so does the sunset. In midsummer, while sitting on the rocky shores of Glacier Bay National Park, I watched the sky transform slowly from the warm yellows to the vibrant orange to deep reds. This is a process that typically takes under a quarter of an hour at lower latitudes, but thanks to the angle of the sun at this higher latitude, this lasted for well over an hour. Seeing a sunset like this is a rarity in one of the cloudiest regions of the country, and hence I savored every minute of this hour-long sunset

Glacier Bay National Park
AK USA

The Beginning of Summer

While the Pacific Northwest is already in the binds of fall with cooler temperatures and shorter days, I still remember the beginning of summer as though it was yesterday. During one of the early heat waves, I made it out to this famed reflection of Mt Shuksan before it lost its coat of snow and ice later in the summer. Walking around in balmy 60 degree weather at sunrise, when it would have normally been close to freezing, was surreal

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA

A Sunny Fall


Fall is here in the PNW, admittedly. Wandering around the neighborhood and on the hiking trails, the signs are unmistakable: the reddening leaves of the tiny blueberry shrubs, tall fireweed, and the broad leaved maples. That it is here a couple of weeks early, despite the mercury hovering around the nominal for this month. It meant that I had to prepone plans for capturing the rather short season when color changes around the Pacific Northwest.

Despite the spells of wet weather, I was able to head out during one of the sunnier days to capture the burst of colors carpeting the slopes of the North Cascades.

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA

Waiting For Last Light

You wait in anticipation for this moment: as the sun approaches the horizon, the shadows lengthen, leaving the deep green valleys in cold darkness; the highest of the snow-capped ridges and glacier-covered peaks taken on a bright orange glow, while up above, the sky transforms from the azure blue of the day to the deep blue of dusk; clouds change from their frothy white to a deep orange as they drift effortlessly across the landscape.

As a photographer, it is not just the moment, but the actual transformation, that captures my attention, and draws me out to mountain-top vistas as the sun sets. Sometimes, I try to capture this as a timelapse, but in others, I just seek to capture a moment in time as the best possible representation of that beautiful evening.

Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA

Morning Landscapes

It was still cold when I stepped out of the tent. The soft tussock, wet from the overnight condensation, cushioned my steps as I headed towards the shore of the vast lake. The sun had been out for over an hour, a bizarre consequence of being at such high latitudes, and yet low enough in the the sky to cast long shadows that highlight the rocky treeless terrain.

It would be a while before the wind picked up, I was told, and hence I dragged my camera out to capture the reflection. I wasn't used to being above the treeline on the shore of a vast lake amidst this alpine wilderness, so I just took my time to immerse myself in the solitude of this morning, knowing fully well that I may never get to see the Alaska range highlighted on such a clear day.

Lake Clark National Park
AK USA

The Changing Summer

The Changing Summer.jpg

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

Granitescapes.jpg

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 Great Escape.jpg

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