Angel's Landing - GoPro
Angel's Landing is often rated as one of the very best hikes in America. I can see why!
This hike was rated as "Moderate" on most of the guides that I read, and "Hard" on a few others. I can see why. At points, you'll have to scramble up the stones like a mountain goat. Even without that, some parts are quite steep and you'll be feeling it the next day.
Despite the toughness of the route, the place was quite popular and crowded. I saw little kids and older folks all over the place. It was a tough hike but anyone in decent shape and with a desire to reach the top can make it.
My favorite part of the hike was watching the human stories unfold. Sorority sisters talked trash about their teachers, young sibling conspired to scare the bejesus out of their parents and the older folks determined to make it up "that damn hill".
The best of them all was the Korean family whose dad was trying to take pictures of his kids in a manner that made it look the kids were about to fall off the cliff. He was just using angles to make it look worse than it was and at no point were the kids in jeopardy but the mom was having none of it. She was so worried about the kids freaking out that she freaked them out by freaking out herself. It would have been a cool shot, something silly I would have taken with my boys but her fussing seemed to interrupted the shot. Still, it was entertaining to watch.
On ... and the views of the canyon were alright, too.
A Trip Through Sprague, Wa
A car, a camera and a few spare hours!
The town has a seasonal creek running through it named "Negro Creek." Much debate has occurred regarding the creek's name but the name remains.
Yeah! An interesting town, for sure.
Hey! Which way do I .... Oh, I see. thanks!
For this trip, I took the GoPro Hero 4 that I've borrowed from the good folks at Huppin's. Using the Hero 4 for the type of photography I do is certainly a stretch. It has great features but I don't think that it was designed for landscapes or cityscapes and stuff. Despite that, I think that I've found an interesting mix of photo taking and processing that ends up with a pretty cool final product. I capture the images at about 14 MB so there's plenty of detail with which to work.
The area around Sprague, Wa has such wonderful views of the horizon. I intend to return again this summer and try a few new things with this camera. The time-lapse and video features will be great tools with which to capture the shifting skies. Stay tuned for that. Even in its basic modes, the expanses captured are impressive.
Hey, Buddy?! Why the long .... Oh, you've heard that one before?
I'm pretty certain that some of these images will end up on my print gallery. I really do like how the nuances of the GoPro seem to add more cool elements than they take away.
And look! I DID return to Sprague!
Stevens Lake by GoPro
One of my favorite places in all the Inland Northwest!
From the All Trails/NatGeo website:
Stevens Lakes is a 5 mile out and back trail located near Mullan, Idaho that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for fly fishing & hiking and is accessible from June until October.
I love this place! When I need a one-day escape from the world, I often head east to this getaway nestled in the Bitterroot Mountains just outside of Wallace, Id. Though I wouldn't call it an easy hike, it's really only steep in a few short places. Really manageable for most hiker. What I always find amazing about the trail is how it winds through a few different geographic zones.
In one area, you'll be surrounded by cedars and walking through great dampness. A little while further you'll be on an exposed rock slide face that is more dry pine. Just a bit further and you'll be walking under deciduous trees and have very different shrubbery surrounding you.
Let's not forget the lakes. This most recent trip showed them at the lowest level that I've seen. We had an easy winter and it was near the end of a dry summer so it wasn't unexpected. Nor was it disappointing. The water was still clear and cold. The ancient deadwood logs were still scattered along the banks. As I was alone up there, I did go for a skinny dip in the icy water. As I am a wimp, it didn't last long. The chill was washed away within minutes of stretching out on a rocky bank and soaking in the sun.
The nap induced from the warmth made the short trip to the upper lake a slim prospect. I would have had to circle back around the west side of the lower lake and head up. Not a hard scramble but my time was running short. Had to get back to Wallace.
Again, I'm thankful to the good folks at Huppin's for the loan of the Go Pro. A cool tool for capturing interesting angles.