Water Falling Over Things 2014: Part IV (East side of Rainier)
Normally, the highways on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park close late in autumn, and only reopen on Memorial Day weekend or later. So I was surprised to learn that, while Chinook Pass to eastern Washington remains closed for at least a while longer, Cayuse Pass had already been plowed and reopened ahead of schedule, allowing me to take the shorter and more-scenic route around Rainier, rather than the long slog through Pierce County's land of the suburban strip malls that is the only route there through the winter. Seeing as the forecast was for overcast skies (this is known as foreshadowing), I decided to take the opportunity to return to Grove of the Patriarchs at MRNP's southeast entrance, and then hit several familiar roadside waterfalls on the return trip. Unfortunately, shortly after reaching the park entrance, the promised solid overcast started to burn off and, by the time I reached the summit of Cayuse, it was clear that I was in for rapidly-changing periods of bright sunlight and light overcast. Since such conditions would make shooting at Grove of the Patriarchs utterly pointless, I decided to abandon my main destination, and hope that I could hit the waterfalls in question at a point where clouds were blocking the sun.
Fortunately, such was the case when I reached the most photogenic of my three remaining destinations, Zigzag Falls.
Zigzag is a waterfall that really rewards detail shots. Such was the case here, even when the dreaded sunlight began flooding the scene; I tried to use it to highlight part of each frame, with at least some success.
Next up was Pass Falls -- or, as I have been known to call it, That Damned Waterfall Where The Curved Tree Blocks The View More And More Every Year. The good news is that the tree has finally been bent so far by winter snows that it is possible to shoot the upper tiers of the fall around it. The bad news was, once I finally noticed this, the sun came out in earnest. I noted the direction and speed of the surrounding clouds, and determined that they would eventually cover the sun, but all I could do for the moment was set up my compostion and wait...and wait...and wait.
Finally, the clouds moved in for a few moments, and I was able to grab the shot I wanted.
On the way back down out of the park, Skookum Falls was running at slightly-higher-than-usual flow for this time of the year.
All three of these falls normally run dry by late summer so, if you live in the area and want to see them at their best, I suggest you take advantage of the early opening of the east-side highways and go up as soon as possible.
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Last edited Wed May 21, 2014, 02:30 AM - Edit history (1)
Does this post come with a laugh-track? 
Thanks for the compliments, but the fact is, while I'm in quite a bit better shape than I was for the past couple of decades (thanks to discovering the Zone Diet) and of course can now see 20/20 after eye surgery, I'm still well past the age when I would first have been able to join AARP, and can definitely tell all-too-frequently that I'm heading down the back slope of middle-age -- at increasing speed.
Although some of my photo hikes have been somewhat strenuous, the beauty of these three particular falls is that they really are "roadside waterfalls" easily accessible by anyone. Skookum Falls has an actual "scenic viewpoint," complete with parking spaces, where you just have to step out of your car and set up your tripod. The other two falls have convenient pullouts across the road; at most, you'll have to walk along the edge of the road for a hundred feet or so. And, as you can see from my "set-up" picture of Pass Falls, it and Zigzag are literally right along the side of the road. You don't even have to step off the pavement for good shots.
I mention this because, as I observed at the end of the OP, if you live in this area or are visiting it, these are three falls you can visit without any fear of difficulty or exertion. The most-recent issue of Outdoor Photography had a lead story on "Roadside Photo Ops," great vistas available to photographers without any hiking required. I'd like to think that these three falls were prime examples of the same idea, even if smaller-scaled than some of the ones in the article.
Well, you certainly have a young attitude!
Thanks for explaining.
