Chasing the Light

“Get out your camera gear.” Keylor announced that he and I would participate in this year’s ‘Chase The Light’ photo contest, a fundraiser hosted by the Photographic Center Northwest. For a weekend photo exploration, June 12-13, 2021, every participant would have one photo selected for inclusion in a virtual pop-up exhibition and fundraiser on Saturday, June 19.

Keylor and I had photographed together before. We hiked to Fremont Lookout on the northeast side of Mt. Rainier back in late August of 2019. The purpose of that Friday evening hike was to photograph the Galactic Core of the Milky Way over Mount Rainier. Unfortunately, some clouds drifted in above the mountain and hampered what could have been a perfect night shoot. We tussled with those intermittent clouds obscuring the galactic light show but somehow managed to get some dramatic night sky images. But the big surprise was a roiling sea of clouds that enveloped the lookout like an island in the sky. The inversion layer was awesome! Hiking out with headlamps, we agreed that it was a magical place and a memorable evening.

The time constraints on the ‘Chase The Light’ contest jump-started my plans. Could I combine a training hike with a photoshoot and challenge myself with something new in the realm of photographic exploration? Inspired by the idea of silky captures of snowmelt waterfalls and tumbling rapids, I prepared my kit with my tripod, a circular polarizer, neutral density filters, and radio triggers so I could take long exposures. 

Keylor had to remain in Seattle, so I would hike solo up the old Commonwealth Creek Trail to the narrow long bridge crossing (pictured above) and capture the magic. I memorized the steps in the process and added the small trailside waterfalls to my list. I’d make a loop, joining up with the Pacific Crest Trail to Kendall Katwalk and hike up over intermittent snowfields to access the upper falls and then return past others that tumbled across the trail. Alas, it was not to be.

Up at 5:20 am and heading east by 6:00, I reviewed my plan, the clearing skies encouraging me. The drifting clouds revealed the granite peaks surrounding Snoqualmie Pass and in a most dramatic way. I was ready for this. I pulled off the eastbound freeway and drove toward the trailhead road. Only a few yards up the road, I encountered snow, lots of it. The road was impassible. I couldn’t even reach the trailhead parking area.

Although I once wrote that while we previsualize and make plans, we often encounter the unexpected and need to throw our plans out the window and respond to the present conditions. I said to others, sometimes it’s more of a gift than a hindrance. I certainly didn’t feel that way after encountering that snow-covered road. Yes, I needed to regroup. And I did, finally tossing out two more plans as I drove back home, only to hike the local trails and photograph abandoned wrecked cars slowly overcome by tenacious moss. Waterfalls would have to wait.