Barclay Lake; dreary, grey: weakest debut of a fancy new camera EVER

I love my home. I love just about everything about [western] Washington, and the greater Seattle area.

When I'm in the mood to make photos, I have a major problem with grey. It makes everything dull, destroys all depth, and often makes it a waste of time to even pull the camera out. I don't mean white out, or cloudy, or foggy....look at the last post, that can sometimes be very scenic, I just mean the solid grey skies, as seen below.

I bought the new camera I've been coveting for a long time, and while the camera is everything I wanted and more, the debut hike for it was....unsatisfying. No matter, there is more coming, and it was good to get out.

The other problem is the dynamic range in a place like this is garbage. While this camera has expanded settings to help this, the rich, dark green trees against bright white sky and snow, just doesn't work.


This was about the best I could wrangle.


We climbed up towards eagle lake, but got bored and stopped at a boulder field.


Ate some snacks, and talked about how cold the rocks made our butts.




Someday soon, this huge tree will fall.




I didn't realize everyone had agreed on the "hands on lap" pose, else I would have followed suit.... maybe I'm just more friendly.

Skyline Lake: Repetition is a double edged sword.

As far as I can tell, I've been coming here around new years (give or take), since 2005. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, but it certainly is interesting to see the different amounts of snow and whatnot. Also, it's a fun, pretty, easily accessible, and safe place to take people snowshoeing.

This year, oddly, the weather was gorgeous down in town, and great up through the mountains, but with no shock considering my usual luck, there was a cloud, literally sticking to Stevens Pass like glue..... No matter, made for some dramatic pictures anyway, and jolly good fun regardless.

This is a summation of the conditions today, for the most part.


And thus:


And again


Lots of people up here, as usual, demanding group shots of their own, and offering trade in the like.


Visited the lion-king-esque rock, as needed, weather was better for some cool silhouettes.




Did some alpine bouldering, as Dyan was drooling over the exciting granite.


Then, there was a miraculous break in the could bank, which we were in the top 30 ft of anyway....


Tried climbing that funny little peak, to see if it was above the clouds...it wasn't.




Breaks came and went, but not often enough to warrant sticking around in the cold wind.






Jogged up to Heybrook lookout on the way home.


Good start to the year so far. Keep up with me on facebook if you'd like to partake in these, I'll announce them there usually.

The solstice turning point: reminiscence and hope.

I learned the hard way that one can't dwell on the past.... and I don't. In fact, I don't think I could list off what happened in 2009 aside from the big stuff....

One of the many reasons I love photography, is that you can be selective about what gets recorded. For example; being cold, wet, and miserable for 3 days fades into legend, while the beautiful sunset you watched there stays solid and memorable. Or the fury that burned at the thought of someone's actions, becomes dampened into a simple "sigh" and photos of a good hike with a person you once knew.

For me, 2009 was characterized by a few things:
-The explosive expansion of my social sphere.
-Continuing the trend of increase of my skill in photography, including having some of my work published.
-A fair bit of travel, specifically: Yosemite for spring break and my birthday, Montana for field geology, and Europe for Andrew's wedding and the Europe thing.
-My [not so] secret emotional breakdown over the course of the entire year, which stemmed from general fatigue and loneliness.
-The delightful discovery that I will indeed be finishing school this year (cough...7 years in the making....then I'll go get a masters soon too).
-A big deal for EVERYONE ELSE apparently: Having my first 'drink'. However, to this day I've had few enough drinks to be counted on one hand....

Here are some new photos I uploaded, mixed in with a few overlooked ones from this last year.

Taken on my birthday.


Andrew and I having a right fine time in the mountains.


Scotty, Brontosaurus rex, and Garnetman.




Previously unreleased material. I think everyone knows the story here.








The Brown Eyed Girl, full of angst.


The Bauer, full of angst.




Scott, Scotty, and the Moon, on 4th of July.


Ze Matterhorn.


Actually, the Matterhorn is a huge metamorphic mess, and they had cool signs talking about it!


My favorite hike.


Good day.


I think I'm going to do a lot more solo backpacking this year too.



For 2010, I have these plans and hopes:
-Finish school....like, actually. Then apply for the Masters in Teaching ASAP.
-Go on a date, successfully.
-Take some photos of mountains and stuff... har har.
-To facilitate the above, I am going to continue traveling, this is probably what I'll be putting most of my energy into. Here is my list of confirmed trips: Hawaii for spring break and my birthday. Assiniboine provincial park and Banff in the Canadian Rockies, with possible side trips to Glacier, Tetons, and/or Yellowstone. Lots of hiking in Washington. Keep in touch if you wish to join me on any/all of these adventures.