Slickrock and Shadow

Death Hollow beautiful landscapes in the middle section of this hike.  The stream, high canyon cliffs and lots of green trees are common in is awesome section.   This section of Death Hollow is easily the most beautiful.  The hard work we put in the first day and we would put in the last day was worth it because of this middle day in paradise.  After some small storms through the night, the morning was glorious with blue sky and some light clouds.  Our campsite was one of the more open parts of the canyon.  This yielded fabulous views of the cliffs and canyon.  One of my favorite shots of the trip was my wife and her sister drinking their morning hot chocolate with a fabulous view. Two campers enjoy the morning in Death Hollow. We began hiking and enjoyed some awesome scenery.  The trail itself was an inconsistent thing.  We'd have a traditional dirt path in some locations.  Then we'd have branches and have to push through...

Trail and Towers:  exploring Death Hollow is a wonderfully rich experience in adventure, photography, nature, serenity. Death Hollow is a fabulous adventure and a photographic destination.  The photographic potential for this scenic locale is off the charts because there are 21-miles of pristine wilderness that are rarely visited and even less-rarely photographed seriously.  Death Hollow has been on the top of my radar for years and this summer I hiked the wonderful loop.   Starting the night before, my wife and I drove to the Boulder airstrip and the adjacent trailhead.  We arrived with rain imminent.  Through the night we had lightening to the north but slept well.  The mid-July forecast was for 10% chance of rain but no flash flood warnings.   We woke to clearing skies and pleasant temperatures.  I could have worn shorts but I'd heard about the poison ivy and bushwhacking.  The trip to Death Hollow goes roug...

Dead twisted tree at the trailhead for Boulder Mail Trail:  taken at dawn after a stormy night. Dawn after a storm welcomed me to a new adventure.  I was about to hike down the Boulder Mail Trail (BMT) to Death Hollow but this awesome twisted tree and developing sunrise made me stop and enjoy a little pre-adventure beauty.  I set up my tripod several minutes before this shot and took a photo about every 2 or 3 minutes.  The clouds grew more colorful and purple.  Then the light touched the treetops around me and I took this exposure.   This is the apotheosis of a beautiful dawn.  

Racehorse Falls:  A photogenic landscape near Bellingham, Washington During a recent trip to Bellingham, Washington, I searched for photography destinations and saw some photos of Racehorse Falls.  This waterfall splits halfway down its' course, like an upside-down wishbone.  I'd never heard of it but it's beauty was without doubt.  With some very sketchy online accounts to guide me I drove to what Google called the trailhead.  Happily I discovered a good trail going directly into the woods.  Things were going great until I got to the river.  I heard water, I looked over the edge and saw two smaller waterfalls but not the big one I'd seen in photos.  Not Racehorse Falls. Trail #1 The trail turned up (left) so that's where I went. I continued to hear falling water and spied a rope tied to a tree.  This long rope went down a steep slope where I found another rope which continued to go down to the river.  At the bottom I discover...