Streams
Streams
Mirror Lake near Granby, Colorado, is a pristine alpine gem nestled in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, offering a breathtaking reflection of the dramatic Lone Eagle Peak.
Accessible via a scenic hike from Monarch Lake, Mirror Lake sits at an elevation of over 10,000 feet and is renowned for its crystal-clear waters and tranquil setting. The lake is a popular destination for backpackers, photographers, and nature lovers seeking a true backcountry experience in the wilderness.
While this was one of the most tiring hikes of my life, due to my added camera weight while backpacking, the trek was more than worth it. For this shot I traversed some large boulders to position myself on a small island to get the right angle for this shot.
The cornfields near Savannah, IL follow twists and turns as the land enters the Driftless Area. It is here it becomes more sinuous and hilly with various streams run through the land.
It holds the name due to the fact that during the last Ice Age, it was left untouched by the glaciers during. As a result, the Driftless Area features rugged, unglaciated terrain with deep valleys, ridges, and bluffs. The absence of glaciers left the streams to carve out their path over thousands of years.
This particular stream sat tucked off a dirt road in the hills surrounding Savannah, IL, unassuming, beautiful.
Enchanted Valley, dubbed the “Valley of 10,000 Waterfalls” requires a 15 mile hike through the Quinault Rainforest in Olympic National Park. It is one of the few rainforest in the United States, and receives 140-167 inches of rain per year. The precipitation leaves Olympic National Park with one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the United States.
The Enchanted Valley Chalet at the end of the trail was built in 1931 and was originally meant to be a rustic lodge for hikers. Eventually it transformed into a monitoring station during WW2 to scout for potential Pacific Coast enemy threats. After the war it returned to its original purpose for backpackers and rangers.
The trail crosses many streams on the way to the chalet allowing us to forgo storing water for the hike while backpacking and instead drink the glacial melt from the streams via a LifeStraw. I have not tasted water better than that before or since.
The Staircase area of Olympic National Park is a lesser known area of the park, tucked away along the southeastern edge of the park, near Lake Cushman. It’s known for old-growth forest, moss-draped trees, and multiple rivers flowing through.
This was my third time to Olympic National park and each trip continues to reveal more of its beauty. I stayed in a tiny home near Lake Cushman, which offered early morning access to the trails in the surrounding area.
This particular photo was taken on the Staircase Rapids Loop which follows the Skokomish River through the dense rainforest. Capturing both the cascade and one of the countless bridges crossing the river puts on display the sheer amount of greenery to be found in the only rainforest in the lower 48.
Wallace is fascinating quaint mining town with a rich history, located in the Rocky Mountain area of Idaho.
During the late 1800’s it was a thriving silver mining town but The Great Fire of 1910 almost destroyed it. Ed Pulaski, a fire fighter who saved the lives of all but one of his 42 man crew as well as 2 horses by navigating the ravine later invented the Pulaski tool, considered one of the most important fire fighting tools to this day.
I grabbed this photo while hiking this fairy tale trail that is unique in its presentation of signs as you hike telling the story of Pulaski rescuing his troop from The Great Fire by hiding in a mining tunnel. This tunnel is the final destination of the hike.
The Indian Peaks Wilderness is a protected wilderness area in north-central Colorado, encompassing approximately 73,931 acres within the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, as well as a portion of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Established by Congress in 1978, it offers a pristine natural environment characterized by rugged granite peaks, glacially carved valleys, and over 50 alpine lakes.
Hiking up to Lone Eagle Peak was one of the most tiring hike of my life, due to my added camera weight while backpacking, but the trek was more than worth it. This was taken right as we were leaving the area, and luckily I turned around to see this composition encapsulating all that makes this wilderness truly unique.
The Palouse region, located in southeastern Washington and extending into portions of Idaho and Oregon, was originally home to the Palus people, historically known for breeding strong horses, but the U.S. government did not acknowledge them as a distinct tribe in the late 1800s as settlers arrived under the Homestead Act.
Indigenous communities were displaced, and the land was drastically reshaped by agriculture. The region’s deep loess soil and steep terrain led farmers to adopt contour plowing, giving the fields their signature flowing appearance.
I raced the descending sun following a long drive from Seattle, arriving just in time to catch the sunset atop Steptoe Butte, the one elevated area among the farmland. I set up next to a group of amateur photographers taking a class led by a knowledgeable local — which brings me to an interesting detail about the Palouse: I only encountered two types of people there — farmers and photographers. There might not be a better place to learn photography.
Located near Twin Lakes State Park, Wyandotte Falls finds its source from the Misery River in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The falls consist of a series of short cascades rocky ledges in a quiet, forested setting. The falls create an atmosphere that is reminiscent of a fairy tale forest.
This long exposure required the balancing of my tripod on the river rocks to get the composition that showed its varied pathways. Fall always adds something to a scene like this, and after chasing loud, roaring waterfalls all day, this was a serene end to the day.
Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, Illinois transforms into a stunning winter landscape, with its waterfalls freezing into towering columns of ice. These frozen waterfalls are a major seasonal attraction, drawing hikers, photographers, and ice climbers to the park’s deep sandstone canyons.
Formed by melting snow and natural springs, the waterfalls normally flow through narrow cliff faces, but in winter, they become massive ice formations, sometimes reaching over 80 feet tall. The contrast between the icy formations and the ancient, rust-colored rock walls creates a dramatic and otherworldly scene.
This photo required some careful maneuvering to get to the right position as well as making sure my tripod stayed stable on the ice. This dead leaf stood out among a sea of white and grey and allowed me to capture a long exposure yet the leaf remained still. Taken earlier in my career, I had not come to appreciate the magic of crampons when navigating slick ice.
Located near Twin Lakes State Park, Wyandotte Falls finds its source from the Misery River in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The falls consist of a series of short cascades rocky ledges in a quiet, forested setting. The falls create an atmosphere that is reminiscent of a fairy tale forest.
This long exposure required the balancing of my tripod on the river rocks to get the composition that showed its varied pathways. Fall always adds something to a scene like this, and after chasing loud, roaring waterfalls all day, this was a serene end to the day.
Smalley Falls, located in the Chequamegon National Forest of northern Wisconsin, is known for its serene and scenic beauty. Part of the Brule River, these falls are not as widely known as some of the others in the region, making it a particularly peaceful spot to visit.
The region is primarily composed of ancient Precambrian rock formations, some of the oldest on Earth, dating back about 1.6 to 2.6 billion years. Glacial till, which consists of a mixture of soil, clay, sand, and gravel, can be found in the area, deposited by the retreating glaciers that once covered much of Wisconsin. This sediment supports the lush vegetation and forest ecosystem surrounding Smalley Falls.
This particular composition required some scrambling and, again, careful positioning of my tripod legs on various levels of rocks to allow for the long exposure. This area immediately transported my mind to the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest, a site not often found in the Midwest landscape.