Columbia river Gorge

In the Canyon

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This is a 14 image 42.6 megapixel pano of the Wahclella Falls gorge near the Bonneville dam on the Columbia River. We try to get out here pretty regularly as it's a fairly easy hike with a nice loop through this canyon with a view of Wahclella falls at the apex. You can click the link under the photo to see a full size section up close.

I've mentioned (I think) that I got my hands on a Sony RX1r on New Years Day and have been carrying it daily along with a film camera. It has a similar sensor to the one on my Sony A7ii, but no anti-alias filter which I'm noticing produces greater detail overall.

I really like how this photo captures the energy in the river, the thin veiling of the undulating moisture in the air and the warmth of the winter sun cutting into this secluded space.

The Upper Falls of Multnomah Creek

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This is a 91 Megapixel pano made from 17 images. Here's a peek at the detail

 

The kids and I hiked up past the upper observatory deck of Multnomah Falls to see the two waterfalls that most visitors never see. Dutchman falls is a smaller cascade over a mound of basalt chunks and then a gentle pour from the pull beneath. There's been a log in front of the falls for a couple years now, but hey, that's nature.

There's nothing quite like the view through a Hasselblad viewfinder. The kids and I took turns framing things up. I'll share those shots when I get them developed.

 

This is a 76megapixel pano made from 22 images. Click here for a peek at the detail

 

The trail continues to wind up into the forest, but not before a beautiful view of Weisendanger Falls. There are a bunch of logs to climb if you want to get right up near the falls, but it's pretty easy even for my 7 year old. Weisendanger can fluctuate quite a bit, and this photo shows it at a particularly light flow. I'm looking forward to coming back once the rains start up again and we get more snow pack.

Colder Still

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I had a pretty long chunk of time off during the holiday season and though I was in perpetual new puppy mode for most of it, I did manage to get out into the elements with my boys and one of their friends for a cold afternoon hike to a new waterfall I hadn't been to before.

Dry Creek Falls is located a little over 2 miles from Cascade Locks on the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail winds through beautiful forest, around giant boulders and under a power line clearing. Contrary to the guidance given by many of the online resources, the trail is pretty straightforward.

I never did find a straight answer to the one question all 3 boys kept asking- "Why do they call it Dry Creek when there's always water in it?"

I don't know guys. Just enjoy it.

Frozen Waterfall Throwback

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Now that we've officially moved into winter here in the pacific Northwest, I thought it appropriate to post something a little more snow and winter themed.

This image was made on February 7th this year when the kids and I went out for an epic day in the ice covered Columbia River Gorge. We hiked into Elowah falls that day and stopped at Horsetail and Multnomah on the way home. The hike was awesome, with nearly 2 feet of powder covering the trail. This is the thickest I've seen the ice, but I've heard about it getting even more frozen when the cold lasts longer. We've been out and seen some mild freezing over the last couple months, but I'm hoping for a good cold stretch in the new year.

Multnomah Falls can feel a bit pedestrian because of the large crowds and paved trail, but lest you forget about the power of nature, take a look at the bridge closely. It was shut down for a few months earlier this year when a falling rock took out a large chunk of it. It's fixed now, but I love that this image has that detail.

I also have an 12x18" print of this one I've been needing to get up on a wall.