North Cascades National Park

[Scott Rosenberg]

hey guys,

i'm planning on heading up to north cascades national park from 5-october - 7-october. i just called the park and they said conditions were nice and the colors were coming along.

have any of you been up there recently? care to comment on the fall color? got any suggestions for aa first time visitor re: places to shoot?

thanks,

[Paul Metcalf]

Harts Pass, out of Mazama. I haven't been up there this year (yet), but there are Tamracs (but there have also been fires). You should call back the ranger station and ask if they've started to turn, might still be early. Pics are from the Pacific Crest trail that leaves from the campround at the pass. Sorry for the crappy scans from work scanner.

[Turner Reich]

How far from I5 is the main park area? Is there RV camping up there?

[David Karp]

Looks like a great trip! Have fun.

[Turner Reich]

I drove by the cut off yesterday on I5 and it was raining but in better weather it looks like fun. I have never been to the park and like you wonder what is there to photograph.

[Kirk Keyes]

Scott -

We went there last October 5th to 10th. Since we had our 6 month old baby with us, we didn't go very far. I don't remember much "fall color", but the Okanogan Valley to the east side of the park is supposed to have some good stands of aspens.

We stayed in Marblemount at a place that is a religious retreat with nice, inexpensive cabins and drove the road in every day. I think this was the first National Park I went to that we didn't actually go into the actual park. The highway is not in the park, and the places we hiked were on the wrong side of the summits to actually be in the park. Oh well.

So we tried Liberty Bell Mountain trail in the Mt. Baker/ Snoqualmie Nation Forest - we didn't quite make it to the lake there as had not dressed the baby quite well enough. I made it within a few hundred yards of the lake there and it looked quite good. We also went to Lake Ann - and that was good too. Here's a shot of the Mrs. and baby on the trail in:
http://www.keyesphoto.com/Hidden/Jeanne%20and%20Sophia%20on%20way%20to%20Ann%20Lake.jpg
Also, we went to Mt. Shuksan - a very cool mountain. I did the standard reflection shot of the mountain in the lake down at the ski area.

Well, there's a lot of cool looking hikes there if you can go more than a few miles and climb a thousand feet or so. It looks like there should be fresh snow there right now which should last for you this weekend.

Kirk

[Kirk Keyes]

I haven't been up there this year (yet), but there are Tamracs (but there have also been fires).

Voice Over 'EPISODE 12B'
'HOW TO RECOGNISE DIFFERENT TREES FROM QUITE A LONG WAY AWAY'
'NO. 1'
'THE LARCH'

I think the closest tamaracks get to the North Cascades is the Canadian Shield.

Voice Over 'AND NOW'
'NO. 1'
'THE LARCH'
(Picture of a larch tree.)
Voice Over 'THE LARCH'
Voice Over (and CAPTIONS)
'AND NOW'
'NO. 3'
'THE LARCH'
'AND NOW...'

[Paul Metcalf]

Kirk-Huh? Sheez. Ok, how's Tamarack? The name Tamarack is the Algonquian Native American name for the species. Larix laricina if that's better. Larch if you prefer.

[Scott Rosenberg]

kirk, you totally lost me on that reply, too.

thanks for the info, fellas... looks like weather is going to be an issue for this weekend. maybe next...

[Ben Chase]

kirk, you totally lost me on that reply, too.

thanks for the info, fellas... looks like weather is going to be an issue for this weekend. maybe next...

Lots of nice clouds out here in Eastern WA, with sunbreaks, I'm almost tempted to go out and shoot this weekend if it wasn't for the homework in my MBA program.

I need to get back out to the North Cascades, it was my old stomping grounds when I was in the scouts about a decade ago.

Ben

[John Berry]

, it was my old stomping grounds when I was in the scouts about a decade ago.

Ben Thanks for making me feel old Ben. ( 5 decades for me ) Had a great time when we went out shooting. Weather isn't looking too promising though for this weekend.

[Ben Chase]

Thanks for making me feel old Ben. ( 5 decades for me ) Had a great time when we went out shooting. Weather isn't looking too promising though for this weekend.

It was 33 degrees at my house this morning and my windows were iced over. Snow's comin...and comin before I expected this year out here. Although it's going to be nasty this weekend probably with rain/fog.

[Kirk Keyes]

kirk, you totally lost me on that reply, too.

OK - no Monty Python fans here then... They were a few quotes from the first season episode called, oddly enough, "How to recognise different types of trees from quite a long way away" in which an old colour lantern slide of a Larch is promently featured.

It's actually a classis episode as it also has the skits of Superman as a bicycle repairman, in a world of Supermen that can't actually fix bicycles, the restuarant sketch where several of the staff commit suicide over the shame of a dirty fork, and perhaps one of the ultimate Monty Python skits, "Nudge nudge".

Although I'm not much on biology or botany, the Larix laricina is the Tamarack Larch or American Larch. It is a different tree than the one found in the North Cascades. The American larch is not found in the western US, but can be found across the NE and Great Lakes states and on up into much of eastern and north central Canada.

The Larix lyallii, Subalpine Larch, is actually what is shown in Paul's photo. The subalpine larch doesn't grow very tall and is found at the treeline in the North Cascades, Okanogan, Northern US Rockies and Southern Canadian Rockies.

At lower elevations in Washington and Oregon Cascades, Blues, and Wallowa mountains as well as some of the Rockies, Larix occidentalis, the Western Larch, can be found. Much larger tree than the subalpine.

My wife's a gardener and used to work for a timber company so I've picked up info on a few of the western trees.

Anyway, back to photography. Say no more!

Norman (leers, grinning) Your wife interested in er... (waggles head, leans across) photographs, eh? Know what I mean? Photographs, 'he asked him knowingly'.
Him Photography?
Norman Yes. Nudge nudge. Snap snap. Grin grin, wink wink, say no more?
Him Holiday snaps?
Norman Could be, could be taken on holiday. Could be yes - swimming costumes. Know what I mean. Candid photography. Know what I mean, nudge nudge.
Him No, no we don't have a camera.
Norman Oh. Still (slaps hands lightly twice) Woah! Eh? Wo-oah! Eh?
Him Look, are you insinuating something?

[Scott Rosenberg]

Norman (leers, grinning) Your wife interested in er... (waggles head, leans across) photographs, eh? Know what I mean? Photographs, 'he asked him knowingly'.
Him Photography?
Norman Yes. Nudge nudge. Snap snap. Grin grin, wink wink, say no more?
Him Holiday snaps?
Norman Could be, could be taken on holiday. Could be yes - swimming costumes. Know what I mean. Candid photography. Know what I mean, nudge nudge.
Him No, no we don't have a camera.
Norman Oh. Still (slaps hands lightly twice) Woah! Eh? Wo-oah! Eh?
Him Look, are you insinuating something?

kirk, it's WAY to early in the pnw winter for you to be exhibiting cabin fever to this degree. i'll have to drag you to the alvord for some sun ASAP!

[Colin Graham]

A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat ;)

[Kirk Keyes]

Yeah, Scott, I guess that's it. I didn't get out for my usual fall photo trip to the Colorado Plateau... Actually, let's get together and finally meet face to face sometime soon! I'd love to see you work first hand.

[Scott Rosenberg]

Yeah, Scott, I guess that's it. I didn't get out for my usual fall photo trip to the Colorado Plateau... Actually, let's get together and finally meet face to face sometime soon! I'd love to see you work first hand.

anytime my friend! last weekend i made it up to mount rainier on friday, got snowed on, which would have been fine except it was so sacked in that you couldn't see the mountian, so made my way to proxy falls on sunday. i've been doing my part to keep fuji and ilford in business!

sheldon and i have been out shooting several times recently. we'll all have to get together real soon. the leaves in the gorge are getting very nice...

[Paul Metcalf]

Kirk-
You must cut down the largest Tamrack in the forest wiiiiiiiiiiiiith...... (suspenseful music)...... A HERRING!!!

I'm embarrased. Being a MP fan, I didn't recognize the skit. My bad. Now, if I weigh the same as a duck, I'll have to be burned!

And, now I know more about Larch's than I've ever known before.

PS - you probably know this, but if you're an MP fan, you must see Fawlty Towers episodes. Warning though, empty your bladder first before watching.

[Kirk Keyes]

sheldon and i have been out shooting several times recently. we'll all have to get together real soon. the leaves in the gorge are getting very nice...

Scott - let's shoot for the end of this month. I usally find the week about Halloween to be the peak. Keep in touch - let's use to fa message server to keep Sheldon and any other locals in.

Scott - you should come to the Photographers Fanfare on the first weekend of Nov. It was really good last year. Well worth attending all 3 days.

[Kirk Keyes]

PS - you probably know this, but if you're an MP fan, you must see Fawlty Towers episodes. Warning though, empty your bladder first before watching.

Paul, Yes - I've seen FT, but not to the extent of MP. Cleese is great. (BTW, he did the narration on the larch bit.)

[Eric James]

Kinda late notice, but I'll be at the Leavenworth Forest Service Office at 7:45AM Saturday, OCT 12th with hopes of getting a permit for the Enchantments. If anyone is in the neighborhood we could arrange to drop a vehicle and hike through (Snow Lake to Colchuck Lake or Colchuck to Snow Lake) on SAT and SUN. If I don't get a permit I plan do the Colchuck approach as a day hike. Weather sounds okay; not sure what condition the larch will be in when I get there.