reflection – Page 10

October 3, 2010January 14, 2013

Eagle Cap Wilderness Part 1

About a month ago I took a five day backpacking trip, accompanied by my brother and father. We decided to check out Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon’s largest National Wilderness area. Our loop took us through a “back door” approach to the very popular Lakes Basin management area of the wilderness, which features dozens of mountain lakes surrounded by towering peaks.

Two backpackers ascend the steep Little Kettle Creek trail to Crater Lake, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon

After a 5.5 hour drive from Portland, we got to the eastern side of Whitman National Forest, at which point we spent another 1.5 hours on unpaved forest service roads. Now I understood why our route was completely devoid of other people. The much more popular route into the Lakes Basin is to leave from Wallowa Lake from the north. After parking, we had a steep climb of 3000 feet in 6 miles. We got to our destination of Crater Lake with just enough daylight to set up camp.

Two backpackers pump water from Crater Lake in the early morning as the surrounding hillside reflects off the lake's surface, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon

The next morning we enjoyed the sunrise, broke camp, and pumped our water for the day. The photo above shows my brother and father getting water from the lake, with the reflection of Krag Peak in the surface of the water. Due to the lack of clouds that morning, the sunrise was rather dull, but the water was so still and clear that it provided very nice reflections. Once we were done, we hiked around the north side of Crater Lake and caught our first view of Cliff Creek Canyon.

Boulders give way to dense forest along Cliff Creek canyon, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon

Cliff Creek flows from an outlet of Crater Lake to the north east, eventually joining the Imnaha River. Cliff Creek Canyon a V-shaped valley interspersed with forest and meadows. I could see the remnants of various wildflowers here, although I think we were catching the tail end of the season. The trail was fairly uneventful, until we reached the Imnaha itself – a much bigger river, in a more impressive valley.

The Imnaha River sweeps through a river valley surrounded by trees, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon

After an easy creek crossing, we wound up the Imnaha River Valley in a northerly direction, following the South Fork of the Imnaha River. Here the landscape exploded with beauty, informing us that everything before was just a prelude. Towering white limestone cliffs greeted us at every turn.

Limestone formations form wave-like patterns underneath towering limestone cliffs, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon

Broad meadows stretched before us, with mountains to each side. Lush grass bloomed with wild flowers, growing near the many tributaries running out of the mountains.

Limestone cliffs tower above the Imnaha River Valley, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon

We hiked on until close to sunset, at which point we found a shaded camp site next to the river. Although the temperature dropped significantly that night, we had a pleasant night sleep listening to the quiet burbling of the water.

To see more, be sure to check out part two of this trip.

September 20, 2010January 14, 2013

Crater Lake Sunset, Eagle Cap Wilderness (Photo of the week)

The setting sun highlights an outcropping on rock, jutting into the still waters of Crater Lake, Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon.

This week’s photo was taken during a recent backpacking trip into Eagle Cap Wilderness in northeastern Oregon. This was our first night, and the end of a long day of driving and a steep uphill climb of 3000 feet. Even before I pressed the shutter release, I knew I wanted to convert this image to black and white. A small rock peninsula was jutting out into the lake from the opposite shore, and I wanted to accentuate the extreme contrast between the brightly lit rocks and the shadowed forest beyond.

As expected, we had the lake to ourselves. Unlike the famous Oregon counterpart of the same name, this “Crater Lake” in the Eagle Cap Wilderness is small, and is not considered a destination unto itself, but a stopping point as the hiker gets deeper into the wilderness. In fact, this lake is not formed in a crater at all, but a dimple in the landscape carved by glaciers of the last ice age. As this lake is fed by snow melt, its water is crystal clear. Although small, this lake definitely is beautiful, which can be at least some comfort on very cold nights.

September 13, 2010January 14, 2013

Mt Lassen From Lake Helen (Photo of the week)

Mt. Lassen is reflected in Lake Helen after a morning snow shower, Lassen National Park, California

This week’s shot was taken on my way out of Lassen Volcanic National Park after a failed attempt at a solo backpacking trip. After trying to wait out the rain in the morning, I finally gave up and headed back home after my long drive only the night before. The rain was strong, and the dark clouds foreshadowed the wicked thunderstorm to come.

However, just as I was passing Lake Helen on the main road through the park, the rain stopped and I decided to take advantage of this brief respite. I parked my car by the lake and jumped out with my gear, hoping to make a few quick exposures before the storm started in again. I had the lake to myself, and I didn’t see a single car pass on the road while I was shooting. Although I knew the temperature had dropped the night before, I was surprised to see fresh snow on the top of the mountain. That was my second fresh snow of the summer, the first being at Crater Lake in July.

This shot is actually a combination to two images – a technique I’ve been using successfully for a couple of years. Traditional photographic technique would have required I use a graduated neutral density filter, in order to darken the exposure of the sky so as not to blow it out when I exposed for the foreground. Shooting digitally from a tripod allows me to create this effect later on the computer using two exposures instead of one. This saves the weight of the extra filters out in the field, and frees me up aesthetically.

First, I expose for the foreground light, and capture the frame as if the entire scene was lit evenly. This will result in an image where the sky (and in this case mountain top) is completely blown out and appears white in the photograph. Next (without moving the camera or tripod), I expose for the sky, rendering the foreground very dark, if not black. I later combine both images as separate layers of the same file in Photoshop, using layer masking and the gradient tool to blend them together, getting the best exposure for the sky and the foreground.

Soon after I got out of my car, it started raining again, and I knew it was time to leave. I’m glad I got this opportunity to shoot this area during a break in the storm – the rain could have easily let up somewhere else (or not at all), and I would have driven out of the park without another shot.

September 8, 2010January 14, 2013

Mt. Lassen Reflection (Photo of the week)

Mt. Lassen is reflected in Manzanita Lake at sunset, Lassen National Park, California

A couple of weeks ago, I drove up to Lassen National Park for a quick solo overnight backpacking trip. I could tell that wilderness camping in the park was not very common by the raised eyebrows from the ranger when I asked for a permit. “Oh. Did you hear about the weather?” she asked.

Uh oh, I thought. That is never a good sign. She went on to tell me that the temperature was expected to drop by 30 degrees and a thunderstorm was moving in, with rain expected by 11 AM of my first day. I decided to give it a go anyway, and see how bad the weather would get. Before setting up camp at the trail head, I drove north to Manzanita Lake for sunset, where I took this week’s photo.

Luckily, I was blessed with great weather that evening, and had a pleasant hike around the lake capturing different views of the mountain reflected in the deep blue water. Mt. Lassen is probably most photogenic from the north, so this lake is a (very) popular spot for campers. I was happy to see some snow still clinging to the north-facing slopes.

After sunset, I drove south to the trail head, set up camp, and was soon asleep. The rain started at 5 AM and picked up from there. I packed up in the rain, tried to wait out the storm in the car, and finally gave up around 8:30. It turned out to be a good decision, because it rained continuously for the next couple of days. With low, fog-like clouds over much of the landscape, photography was rendered pointless. The handful of photos I took at Manzanita Lake turned out to be the bright spot (literally) of my trip. Overall, the trip was not what I was planning, but it is hard to be disappointed with such a beautiful scene.