Capturing the Moment

A Taste of Alaska in Washington's Olympic National Park    View from Hurricane Ridge Inside the forest at Lake Crescent Port Angeles describes itself as the gateway to Olympic National Park. This is where we dock the Safari Quest on the last day of our Pacific Northwest trips here in Washington. Scenic, 5000+ ft Hurricane Ridge is a 45 minute drive, and the glacially carved Lake Crescent is only 30 minutes away, giving us two great options to choose from.   I have been taking my groups to Hurricane Ridge, to explore the totally different environment that one can find at 5000+ft . Mountain firs and hemlocks abound, grey jays jabber from the limbs, and Mt Olympus pokes up from behind the remaining glaciers deep within the park’s 1,000,000 acres.   During the spring trips we encountered 10ft snowbanks… I’ll be sure to bring snowshoes next Spring. During the fall we found that we could escape the heat from below and exchange it for nice crisp mountain...

Alone at the Skookumchuk Rapids Mist hugging the forest   It turns out Fall is a pretty amazing time to cruise through islands and fjords of British Columbia. Early morning clouds hang low enough to touch the mist rising from the water. It has a way of hiding thousand foot cliffs only to reveal them a few seconds later. The fog also hugs the forest, often moving in and around the huge old growth trees like some ethereal river. Paddle Boarding the Fjord    It is a rare opportunity for photography, as mist can often be a landscape photographers best friend. It add a mysterious effect, and always reminds me of ancient Chinese paintings where layers of mist would separate the foreground, middle, and background adding depth to a two dimensional scene. Ready to Deploy   The fog became so thick at one point during a kayak excursion this week that all sound was snuffed out except a ship's foghorn that would cut through the mist from far away every few...