Archive for category Mountains
April 13, 2011 – Mt. Baker Ski Area
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on April 13, 2011
Mt. Baker Ski Area
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2439
Turns out it’s still ski season here in Washington, which is awesome. Although no, this picture isn’t THAT recent, it’s from earlier this year, end of January I think. Remember how I said that I headed up to Mt. Baker that one particular day to take advantage of the sunshine? It’s still true! And this is from then!
The terrain you’re looking at (which is part of the Mt. Shuksan massif) is all out of bounds, probably inside the National Park boundary (and I’ve mentioned all this before.) Nice little slide right there on that little hummock. It’s not clear if those people you see in the picture caused it or not. I have an earlier picture two of them are standing on the top of the ridge above it, and the third guy is well below it on the next hummock down. By analyzing the ski trails, it looks like there’s a decent chance that he did start it. But, all three of them look pretty relaxed, which is definitely *not* how I’d look if either me or my buddy just narrowly avoided being buried in a slide that I/he/she had triggered way in the backcountry. So, I’m going to just say it’s “unclear” and leave it at that.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/500s, f/10.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 250mm.
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March 21, 2011 – Olympic National Park
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on March 21, 2011
Olympic National Park
Monday, March 21, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=554
Not too long ago, I realized that I hadn’t yet posted this picture to the blog. That was simultaneously surprising and exciting, because I love this picture, so I was saving it for a good day. But right as I was about to post it, I realized that the reason I hadn’t posted it yet was because I DID already post the horizontal version of the same view. It was awhile ago, and ordinarily nobody would have ever known the difference. Except that, somewhat recently, I added a “similar posts” widget to the bottom of the page, and it’s almost guaranteed that that post (as well as another one that I took at the same time) will appear. Oh well, it’s still cool, it’s just less unique now. But, I figured I’d go ahead and still post it, because hey, why not?
This month is going to officially go down as the month with the smallest number of posts since I started the blog, which is sad. How can I say that with such confidence, even though there’s still more than a week left in the month? Well, see, it just so happens that I’m going on vacation early tomorrow morning, and where I’m going I certainly won’t be thinking about any of you. But before you get all excited thinking this might be the perfect time to stop by and help yourself to some of my more valuable possessions, keep in mind that the parents will be in town, and I warned them about you. Sorry, perhaps next time?
So, enjoy this picture, because it’s the last you’ll be hearing from me for a little while!
Oh, forgot to mention, this is a view of Mt. Constance (and some other assorted peaks) in Olympic National Park. I wasn’t actually inside the park when I took the picture though, I was in the Buckhorn Wilderness, which is north of the park.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel XT, Quantaray 70-300mm lens. 1/320s, f/8.0, ISO 300. Focal length: 70mm.
Popularity: 15%
March 17, 2011 – Heather Pass
Posted by Dave in - Best of Dave's POTD -, Fall Color, Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on March 17, 2011
Heather Pass, North Cascades National Park
Thursday, March 17, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2058
Today’s post takes us back to last fall, and to North Cascades National Park in Washington state. The North Cascades contain some of the most rugged terrain I personally have ever seen, and consequently it’s pretty ridiculously beautiful. It’s not one of the most visited national parks, and as such access to it is somewhat limited. Meaning, you can’t get to the huge majority of the park without hiking for several days. There are definitely some cool places you can get to via a simple day-hike though (like this spot), so it’s well worth a trip even if you’re just visiting the area for a weekend.
The day this picture was taken worked out really well, it was one of those perfect, crisp, sunny fall days. I mean, I make it sound like I just got really lucky, but that’s not quite right. I mean, it turns out there’s this thing called the internet that has all sorts of information on it, like weather forecasts and movie times and pictures of naked people. The internet told me that it was going to be nice, so that’s why I spent the 3-ish hours driving to the trailhead that day. But the area in which I WAS lucky was that sky. I mean, holy crap, look at that sky. That’s the kind of sky people like me DREAM about. Toss a polarizer on your lens and your jaw will just drop. I love it.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/200s, f/5.6, ISO 200. Focal length: 20mm.
Popularity: 21%
March 8, 2011 – San Juan Mountains
Posted by Dave in Colorado, Flowers, Mountains, Picture of the Day on March 8, 2011
San Juan Mountains, Colorado
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=184
Hey again everybody, happy Monday Tuesday! Today’s picture is ridiculously old. It was taken with a 3.2 megapixel point and shoot, if that gives you any idea. I took it while I was on a road trip through southwestern Colorado, hanging out in the San Juans. That’s one of those places that I definitely need to spend more time getting to know. It’s *gorgeous* down there. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s gorgeous in a lot of places in Colorado, but especially down there. Unfortunately I only had a couple days, most of which I spent exploring little 4×4 roads in my decidedly non-rugged Subaru Legacy. I went a few places I probably shouldn’t have (and even got stuck once or twice), but it was awesome. (I had the awd, but I did NOT have the ground clearance, unfortunately. My newer Subaru, an Outback, does. Maybe I need to head back down there…) Anyway, this was from there. I don’t remember exactly where, sorry. Someplace with a few flowers and some big peaks nearby. Totally helpful, right?
On a completely unrelated note, I apologize if you previously had a login account on the blog, and now you don’t. Don’t get me wrong, there was never anything you could actually DO with an account, but the ability to make one was there. I figured there was no harm in leaving that enabled, and a few of you actually used it. But, I was getting a spate of spammy user accounts signing up (about 150 in the past couple days), so I ended up disabling accounts, and deleting all of them that had already been created. So if that bit you, uhh, sorry. Fortunately, you still have unfettered access to all of the uninspired content I have tossed up here in the past and will continue to toss up here in the future. Yay!
Notes: Canon PowerShot S230 (Point and shoot). 1/250s, ISO unknown.
Popularity: 19%
March 4, 2011 – Mt. Baker Ski Area
Posted by Dave in - Best of Dave's POTD -, Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on March 4, 2011
Mt. Baker Ski Area
Friday, March 4, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2396
Hey, guess what!! I posted a picture today! I know, I know, I’m awesome.
This is another view from Mt. Baker Ski Area, in northwestern Washington state. I specifically chose the words “view from Mt. Baker” as opposed to “this is Mt. Baker Ski Area”, becasue the area you’re looking at here is strictly out of bounds. The ridge in the foreground is in a designated wilderness area, and I think the peak in the background (it’s actually just a little pointy part on the ridge that leads up to the actual summit of Mt. Shuksan) is inside the bounds of North Cascades National Park. So while technically possible to ski it, it would take quite a hike to get there, through some really gnarly (and extremely avalanche-prone) terrain. Maybe that’s your cup of tea, but it sure ain’t mine. But, I was totally standing inside the bounds of the ski area when I took it, so it totally counts.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll stand by it (and then I’ll caveat the crap out of it): Mt. Baker has the most jaw-droppingly incredible scenery of any ski resort anywhere, hands-down. Okay, now, hands back up, because here come the caveats. A lot of the time (most of the time?) you can’t even see the scenery, because, duh, the ski area that holds the world record for snowfall tends to have crappy weather. Bluebird days are almost non-existent, and often you can count the total number from an entire season on one hand. Sometimes on one finger. That’s not an exaggeration. It’s a haul from Seattle (3.5 hours), so the only reason we even went up there on the day I took this picture is because we knew it would be sunny with some reasonably fresh snow. Next, I can only really fairly compare the scenery here to other places I’ve actually been. Which limits it pretty severely. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to some places that are decent competitors (Vail, Whistler, Whitefish, heck, even Snoqualmie), but I still think Baker wins out. I have *not* been to anywhere outside North America, at least not in the winter. And, I’ve only actually been to one European ski resort at all (Zermatt), so the odds are good that those may actually be better. And, finally, the last caveat to that statemen…
Wait, who the eff cares which one is truly “best” in the scenery department? That doesn’t even make sense. Views, just like photos, aren’t something that can be compared, judged, and stack-ranked. It just doesn’t make sense. Beauty, and the related quality of views or pictures can’t be quantified, and thus can’t be labelled “winner” and “loser”. It’s like asking “Which is greater? The number 532, or a chair?”
So, sit down, stop asking questions, and look at the pretty picture! And, optionally, go to Mt. Baker Ski Area, because, seriously, the views are incredible.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/160s, f/16.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 250mm.
Popularity: 27%
February 25, 2011 – Back Bowls and the Gore Range
Posted by Dave in Colorado, Mountains, Picture of the Day, Winter/Snow on February 25, 2011
Vail's Back Bowls and the Gore Range
Friday, February 25, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2421
Wow, I guess I should apologize to everyone, I’ve kind of dropped the ball these last couple weeks. And February was off to such a strong start, too. Although to be fair, with today’s post, I’ve already matched January’s output, with one more weekday to go.
As you probably guessed by the caption on today’s image (and, umm, the post title), this is a view from the Back Bowls at Vail Ski Resort in Colorado. Those peaks are part of the Gore Range I believe, and if you put it all together, and simmer for a few minutes, you end up with pure awesomesauce. Personally, I really like the shadows of those trees on all that fresh snow down there, it’s one of those sights that just makes me feel sublimely happy for some reason. But we’re not here to talk about me, so…
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/250s, f/13.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 84mm.
Popularity: 24%
February 8, 2011 – Vail Ski Resort
Posted by Dave in - Best of Dave's POTD -, Colorado, Mountains, Picture of the Day, Winter/Snow on February 8, 2011
Vail Ski Resort
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2413
So I was going to start off today’s post by mentioning how I went through some more of the pictures I got at Vail, and even though it wasn’t too long ago that I posted one, here was another one that I thought was nice.
Then I realized, I hadn’t posted one yet! Wow, whoops. So, right, yes, I was at Vail. For a day. I snuck up there with my buddy Trevor to get in some turns when we were out in Colorado to visit my parents over New Year’s. Trevor lives up in Summit County, and he’s got a Summit Pass or whatever, so he scored me a (relatively) cheap day pass. And the weather was pretty fantastic, so it was a great day. And I got a handful of nice shots. None of which you have seen yet. (Unless you’re a friend of mine on Facebook, in which case you may have seen me post this one late last night.)
It wasn’t a total oversight though, I did at least post ONE picture from that Colorado trip already – a shot of Garden of the Gods. And now, Vail too.
I think I took this from somewhere in the Back Bowls, but I’m not quite sure. We went back there for a couple runs, then headed over to Blue Sky Basin, just so I could say I had been there and seen it. (I haven’t made it back to Vail in more than 10 years, not since they had opened that area up.) Although, if your name is Heather and you’re reading this, we spent the entire day on the front side, on the groomers. I would never (Ever!) take your husband who was recovering from somewhat recent surgery on anything but groomers.
Have a great day, everyone!
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/400s, f/18.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 250mm.
Popularity: 24%
February 4, 2011 – Loveland Pass
Posted by Dave in - Best of Dave's POTD -, Colorado, Fall Color, Mountains, Picture of the Day on February 4, 2011
Loveland Pass, Colorado
Friday, February 4, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2237
Hello everyone, and welcome to Friday! It took awhile to get here, but hey, we’re here now, right? Today’s picture has kinda-sorta been posted before. Maybe you remember, maybe you don’t, but I posted a black and white version of this exact image just a couple months ago. At the time, I was saying how I normally don’t play around with things like black and white, because it’s kind of cheesy, and I’m not very good at it. (At knowing when is an appropriate time, when it’s just plain cheese, etc.) But I went ahead and did it on that (this) image because I thought it was a good illustration of the trick of using red-filtered black and white to make the scene slightly more dramatic, by emphasizing the clouds a bit more, stuff like that. (And I mentioned again how that was one of the tricks that Ansel Adams liked to use…)
Also, I talked a bit about how, even though I thought that it made a somewhat interesting black and white image, that the REAL colors in the REAL image were actually pretty striking. So I threatened to post the original image “soon”. Well, two months later may or may not qualify as “soon” in your book, but here it is. Obviously, it was autumn at the time (well, it was at the beginning of September, but that’s right at the height of fall in the high country in Colorado), so all of the grasses and such were this nice amber color, which contrasted nicely against the blue sky.
This was taken a little ways above Loveland Pass. Loveland Pass is in Summit County, Colorado. It used to be the primary way through these parts (good ole’ Highway 6), but then they built the Eisenhower tunnel along I-70 which was a much easier way to go. These ridgelines and stuff aren’t quite up to 14,000 feet, I think most of them are between 12k and 13k. Pretty high still. High enough, really. I had parked right at the pass, and started hiking up. I only had a couple hours to kill, so I couldn’t make it too far, but I did manage to make it up to the ridgeline. (You can see the trail up ahead as it snakes its way up there.) A really nice place to hike, I wish I had more time to explore.
Okay, see you next week!
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. 1/500s, f/7.1, ISO 100. Focal length: 12mm.
Popularity: 38%
February 3, 2011 – Maple Pass
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on February 3, 2011
Maple Pass, North Cascades National Park
Thursday, February 3, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=2034
Today’s picture comes from North Cascades National Park, which is (as you would imagine) located along the northern part of the spine that is the Cascade crest, in western-ish Washington state. Somewhere very near to where I was standing when I took this picture is a spot called Maple Pass, which is accessible via a day hike that’s only moderately strenuous. Driving to the trailhead (at Rainy Pass) and back is probably more difficult than hiking to this spot. Really, the only problem with this plan is that the stuff you’re looking at is all covered in a whole bunch of snow until really late in the season, probably into August. So there’s a very narrow window of time when you can head up there without special equipment. But it’s totally worth it.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. 1/250s, f/14.0, ISO 400. Focal length: 44mm.
Popularity: 14%
February 2, 2011 – Mt. St. Helens
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on February 2, 2011
Mt. St. Helens
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=489
Today’s shot is a view of Mt. St. Helens, in southwestern Washington state. Specifically, this is the lava cone that’s rebuilding itself inside the big crater. To refresh everyone’s memory, Mt. St. Helens blew itself up quite spectacularly back in 1980, obliterating a large amount of the surrounding forest along with it. The 31 years since have provided a fascinating study into how the landscape is recovering. Including, as I mentioned, the lava cone rebuilding itself inside the crater. This isn’t actually THAT recent of a picture though, it was taken the last time I was down there, which was in the summer of 2007 I think. Presumably it doesn’t look drastically different now, almost 4 years later, but I really can’t say for sure either way.
This was taken using a cheap 70-300mm telephoto lens, way at the 300mm end of the spectrum. We were hiking around from the Johnston Ridge observatory, which is across a big valley from the peak itself. Yes, it took some post-processing to remove haze, since this was taken right during the middle of the day, and the subject was very very far away. And that totally rhymes, just sayin.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel XT, Quantaray 70-300mm lens. 1/500s, f/8.0, ISO 100. Focal length: 300mm.
Popularity: 23%
January 24, 2011 – Larches near Colchuck Lake
Posted by Dave in Fall Color, Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State on January 24, 2011
Larches above Colchuck Lake
Monday, January 24, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=1927
Hello, welcome back from the weekend! I was hoping that I’d be able to make it out this weekend to take some new pics, because it’s been awhile now since I’ve been able to get anything worthy of tossing up in this blog. But, no, the weather didn’t really work out, yet again. Sigh. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still got plenty queued up in the backlog to last awhile. But still, it would be nice to get some new ones. I mean, the whole point of a hobby is that it it’s an activity that you enjoy. So I miss it, and that’s sad. Oh well, hopefully someday soon.
In the meantime, here’s a shot from last fall. This was taken very late in the afternoon from the shores of Lake Colchuck, which is outside Leavenworth, Washington. Those larches looked nice, with the last few rays of sunshine illuminating them on that rugged ridge way up there. It’s kind of a recurring theme about last fall, but I wasn’t expecting to see the larches changing color yet, I thought it was still 2 or 3 weeks early for that. On this hike in particular, I didn’t get to get up close and personal with any of them (although on the hike I did the next weekend, I did), so I had to settle for seeing them up on the surrounding mountains. But still, it was a nice sight.
Notes: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, Canon 55-250mm IS lens. 1/500s, f/9.0, ISO 400. Focal length: 179mm.
Popularity: 13%
January 18, 2011 – Silver Queen from Crystal Mountain
Posted by Dave in Mountains, Picture of the Day, Washington State, Winter/Snow on January 18, 2011
Silver Queen from Crystal Mountain
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
http://davefry.net/rate/index.php?viewimage=357
Hello again, everybody! I once again want to apologize for my spotty posting over the past couple of months. I really do want to get back into it, now that all the craziness of the holidays and such is over, and a myriad of other excuses. In fact, I came into this week fully planning on putting up 5 shots. But, then I realized that it was already Tuesday morning, that I had already lost a day due to the holiday yesterday, and I had to give up on that dream. So, the current, updated plan is to put up 4 shots. We’ll see.
I decided that it had been long enough since I posted a skiing picture, and that today was a great day to toss another one up here. So, here you go. This is a view of Silver Queen Mountain, from the summit of Crystal Mountain. Silver Queen Mountain is actually in-bounds for skiing, if you were wondering. Well, that’s a bit misleading. There’s a chairlift that goes to the very tippy top, and everything on the LEFT side of the ridge coming down is skiable. But everything on the RIGHT side is not. Some people still do, as you can see by the presence of tracks over there, but if you do decide to ski it, my understanding is that you are: 1) putting yourself at a decent avalanche risk, 2) setting yourself up for a VERY LONG hike back out, or a VERY LONG trip down through some extremely gnarly trees and probably very spotty snow coverage, down to the (closed) highway into Mt. Rainier National Park, which is probably four or five thousand vertical feet down. But hey, if that’s your thing…
Also, to continue the theme established last Wednesday, this is not a recent picture. I think it was taken back in 2005 or 2006, with a pocket point and shoot. But, last I heard, that mountain is still there.
Notes: Canon PowerShot S500 (Point and shoot). 1/800s, f/8.0.
Popularity: 13%