The Cataract Trail/Mt. Tamalpais - 2/21/2005

Rain, heavy wind, thunder and lightning storms. The perfect day for hiking. Am I crazy? No. It’s a little insider secret amongst Mt. Tam regulars. The reason is that the mountain is heavily forested so you’re well protected from the elements on certain trails such as the Cataract Trail and the trail from Alpine Dam to Kent Lake. I prefer going during these conditions because the trails are less crowded, and on the weekday you’d likely be alone in these conditions. Even the normally crowded Muir Woods National Monument thins out during the rain.

For the nature photographer, days like these are like the beach-goer’s cloudless blue-sky day. The foliage beneath the canopy looks as lush as you’ll ever see it, and the creeks are rushing downstream furiously. You’d also get the even lighting that is required to photograph a forest. I guarantee that even the worst photographer’s shots in the forest could be dramatically improved if shot on a wet day and a tripod.

Fog tends to envelop the slopes of Mt. Tam on these days as well. It adds a mysterious feel to the scene. If the sun breaks, no problem, you have a high likelihood of getting dramatic god beams filtering through the thick forest. Light like that can help simplify the normally “busy” forest scene and improve the photography.



I’d been on the Cataract Trail numerous times but had never completed the whole distance from Alpine Lake to Laurel Dell. It’s not exactly an easy hike, but within most people’s ability level. Heck, if I can do it then anyone can. (For people who don’t know me, I have a paralyzing fear of narrow trails and drop-offs. Hence I’ll never be mistaken for Galen Rowell.)

What appeals to me about this place is that the entire trail follows Cataract Creek as it cascades down to Alpine Lake. I’ve photographed banana slugs, California newts, and fungus along the trail in addition to the massive roar of the creek. I’m surprised all that life survives in this environment today because of the large numbers of hikers who do this trail on the weekends. I’ve tried coming on the weekend but it’s impossible to find parking on Mt. Tam after 10:30 a.m., so I stick with weekdays. When I’m outdoors, I want to see as little people as possible. If I wanted to be around that many people, I’d spend more time at Union Square than Mt. Tam.

There was a reward to reaching the top. There was an outhouse. Need I explain further? I then rested briefly then headed back down. Heading down is probably the most taxing part of the trail because it’s hard on the joints. I’d probably be better served with hiking poles but I think I’ll save those for the solitary trail hikes… (And you call yourself a nature photographer?) I was a tired mess by the time I reached the car, not to mention slightly bruised from my two slips on wet rocks while scrambling off trail. The rain was pouring and thunder was piercing the sky as I left. I was dry considering what I looked like.

Photo Notes:
1. Bring a lens cloth because you’re going to need it when it’s that wet out there. I lost about a quarter of my shots even with the cloth because my lens was either fogged or had water sprinkles I didn’t see through the viewfinder.
2. A tripod, polarizer, and remote shutter are your best friends.
3. Bring hiking boots, water and hiking sticks.
4. Leave your jacket in the backpack. I guarantee you will not be cold after five minutes of this trail even if it’s 40 degrees and raining. It’s a temperate rain forest so I think it retains a lot of humidity from the moisture. Your body heat takes care of the rest. I’ve never done this trail and not sweated my ass off the entire time.

Brief Wildflower Reports

I just drove up the coast to SF from the L.A. area. I stopped
by Montana de Oro on the way and didn't see many flowers, except for a
bunch of yellow flowers on the bluffs overlooking that cove with a parking
lot next to it.

I saw lupine along the hills and along the roadside between Santa Barbara
and Buellton. Moonstone Beach in Cambria is looking a nice colored yellow
with similar flowers to Montana de Oro. There's a beach area with mustard
fields a little past Piedras Blancas right before you climb into the
mountains.

It was getting dark, but I think there were two fields of mustard on both
sides of PCH right along the Carmel River.

i spent the 9th and 13th at Anza Borrego. Maybe it was my imagination but
I thought the verbena and primrose looked better on the 9th along
Henderson Canyon Rd. The sunflowers appeared taller on the 13th though.



Lake Street in Lake Elsinore had great poppies on the 9th. They were
closed up on the 13th due to overcast conditions.

A week ago, I was driving around Chino Hills/Walnut area near my hometown
and checked out the lupine site right off the 60 next to the Burger King.
There are a lot of flowers on the hillsides but it was undesirable to shoot.
Grand Ave. has tons of traffic, there's not really a sidewalk there and
the hillside is fenced off.

Check out the wildflower reports at California Wildflower Reports for further details.

Minute Man National Historical Park 1-25-05

The site of the first shots of the American Revolution. The site of my own revolution?

While growing up, my favorite subject in school was U.S. history. Particularly the colonial-era. Being in New England for a week following one of the worst blizzards in history, I had to visit the Minute Man National Historical Park.

I have newfound respect for Washington’s troops after experiencing a bit of New England winter. How did they survive that brutal winter at Valley Forge? I have no idea. I wouldn’t have made it.

I traveled from my room at the Hawthorne Suites near Harvard Square in Arlington to Minute Man NHP in nearby Lexington. The park is spread out in scattered locations from Lexington to Concord. Since the blizzard had just passed, most of the park was buried in waist-deep snow. It was mostly wooded with bare trees. Not ideal for landscapes in my opinion. However the low winter sun did cast interesting long shadows on the snow.

That is what I like best about shooting in winter. The low-angled sun makes more of the day useful for photography instead of casting harsh shadows everywhere. In some places you could even shoot all day and get decent pictures. Now try that in summer.

Getting in position to get photos was challenging in these conditions. It was well-below freezing, windy and w/ deep snow. It’s easy to take the West for granted until you go elsewhere for winter. The Sierras rarely even get this cold in winter.



Shortly after this photo, I headed back to the hotel as I was jetlagged and was to meet my cousin who happened to work nearby.

Tips:
1. Polarizer- cut glare off the snow.
2. Spot meter the snow and overexpose it anywhere from 1 to 2 stops. 1.7 seems to work for me usually. Bracketing is essential if shooting slide film. If I were shooting Velvia I would definitely do it.
3. Gore-tex boots/pants- keep the ice out of your boots as I learned the hard way. No Goretex can even save you from that.
4. Layers including fleece- my relatives on the East Coast introduced this to me later that night. The temperature wasn’t such a problem for me after that.
5. Keep the batteries warm and dry- camera malfunction is the last thing you want to happen after torturing yourself for hours in this sort of weather.