Aug. 23rd, 2022

canyonwalker: My other car is a pair of hiking boots (in beauty I walk)
Alright, I'm nearing the end of my blog backlog from our trip to the Pacific Northwest 15 days ago. After posting four blogs just about Comet Falls— it really was worth it with the size of the big falls plus so many smaller falls along the trail— I believe I've got just two blogs left, for two other falls we visited before heading home that Sunday.

After Comet Falls we visited Christine Falls. These are a set of falls on the same creek, but down by the road. The canyon is very narrow here so the trail can't traverse it.

Christine Falls, Mt. Rainier National Park (Aug 2022)

This view of Christine Falls, above, is from the road bridge over the creek. I'm standing at the stone wall along the narrow road. There's barely even a pedestrian lane here. Fortunately it's on a tight bend in the road so traffic is already going slowly.

A little further up the road, next to the small parking lot, is a trail leading down the other side. It leads to a viewing spot from which you can see the lower tier of Christine Falls.

Christine Falls, Mt. Rainier National Park (Aug 2022)

I've framed this photo (above) to show the bridge crossing over the narrow canyon.

This is our second time at Christine Falls. We visited these same viewpoints on a trip to Mt. Rainier National Park in July 2017. Comparing the photos from then and now, I think I like the ones from then a little better. As I recall it was partly cloudy the day we visited in 2017, creating flatter light that made it easier to photograph in this narrow canyon. Strong light, like we had during our recent visit, creates harsh contrasts that are harder to compensate for.


canyonwalker: My other car is a pair of hiking boots (in beauty I walk)
Whew. Sixteen days later, here I am: caught up on my blog backlog from visiting Mount St. Helens and Mt. Rainier earlier this month. There's just one chapter to insert in the story. Fortunately it's a lovely one, Narada Falls.

Narada Falls, Mt. Rainier National Park (Aug 2022)

Narada Falls, a wide falls over a broad rock face with a drop of about 100', was our third and final trek of the day that Sunday. Like Christine Falls, which we'd hiked just minutes earlier, it was a short hike compared to Comet Falls. But unlike Christine Falls it wasn't merely steps from the parking lot. No, it was a good 1/4 mile! With a climb on the way back! We were tired from the long trek to Comet Falls so these distances felt tougher than normal.

Also like Christine Falls, we visited Narada Falls on a previous trip to Mt. Rainier 5 years ago. Take a look there to compare the photo I selected 5 years ago vs. the one above. While I liked my 5-years-ago photos of Christine Falls better than my recent ones (mostly because of softer natural light) I like this recent view of Narada Falls better than what I captured before. The difference here is that I now own neutral-density filters for my lenses that enable me to make these pictures with silky, motion-blurred water even in bright sunlight. All I have to do now is remember to carry the extra gear on every hike.


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