This is another shot from the recent trip up to Hurricane Ridge (in Olympic National Park). It’s nice to get out and see the mountains and the trees up at the high altitude at about 1 mile (1515 m) elevation — and a special treat with a waxing moon.
The Marmot Lake area of the upper Duckabush valley (21.1 miles or 34 km on the Duckabush River Trail) in the Olympic National Park provides a dramatic view of Mt Steel. The distance to access the view keeps the casual tourist away.
I shot this on Tri-X film using a Contax G-2 camera. I was happy with the way detail showed up in the sky … the faint clouds. And the nearly full moon was a bonus.
Well, there’s really two photos of a crescent moon, not two moons. But I figured you’d all figure that out. I have worked at getting crescent moon photos for years and these are two of my favorites. These are both waning crescents: very old moons. The thin waxing crescents (thin new moons) are more of a problem for me, since you have to get up early. Even before breakfast.
Above you see Mt Baker and the Beaver Moon in the sunset from Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island with Puget Sound. Notice the patch of rough water along the shore and then an area of smooth water a little farther out. The smooth area is a strong tidal current and the rough water is an eddy line. The tidal current is moving to the left as the tide goes out…. and it is being channeled by the island. It’s moving at over 10 knots … definitely not where I would want to be kayaking or canoeing.
The image below is a clearer shot of Mt Baker … with Mt Challenger to the right in the distance.
