North Cascades, Washington

Living in the Pacific Northwest brings both beauty and hardship.  The challenge lies in the long, dark, wet months of winter and spring.  The damp cold here can feel more penetrating and uncomfortable than dry cold—seeping into your bones and lingering. During the Winter Solstice, the sun sets just after 4 p.m., leaving only about eight hours of daylight. Days on end of gray skies and relentless rain can weigh heavily, even on those who've lived here for years.

The struggle of soggy, cold darkness is balanced by moments of breathtaking beauty. Even in winter and spring, the skies can suddenly clear, revealing crisp, luminous days—though the midday sun hangs low on the horizon. Spectacular views emerge under bright or partly cloudy skies, offering a vivid contrast to the gloom. Better still, the frequent storms of fall, winter, and spring bring a kind of dramatic theater to the landscape. For the weather enthusiast, life here can feel almost otherworldly—like a glimpse of heaven through ever-shifting skies.

In the Seattle area, mountains are visible on every horizon—north, south, east, and west. The North Cascades are among these ranges, with Mount Baker standing as a striking focal point. Just south of Baker lies North Cascades National Park, home to countless rugged peaks and expansive wilderness. While the mountains of the Pacific Northwest are true alpine environments, their elevations are relatively modest compared to ranges like the Sierra Nevada or the Rockies. Mount Baker, for instance, rises to about 10,800 feet—several thousand feet lower than many peaks in the Sierras. This is largely because the Cascade and Olympic ranges begin just 45 minutes or less from sea level, giving them dramatic relief despite their lower elevations.

In the off-season, the relatively low elevations of the Pacific Northwest’s alpine regions make little difference. These mountains remain high enough to be intensely hostile—rife with avalanches, severe weather, and other hazards. For the inexperienced or unprepared, conditions can quickly become not just difficult, but downright miserable.

Photogenic and mesmerizing conditions in the Pacific Northwest can be elusive and unpredictable. Weather forecasts often shift dramatically, and sudden breaks in the clouds can appear without warning. On some outings, I’m met with flat, featureless gray skies that shut everything down visually. But at other times, I’m unexpectedly rewarded with surreal, fleeting scenes—moments of beauty I’ll likely never witness again. One such moment is captured in this selection of images, showcasing stunning, dreamlike cloud formations. It’s moments like these that shape both my physical presence and perceptual experience of life in the PNW.

The images in this gallery were captured during the summer of 2020 and the spring of 2021. The seasonal differences are evident in the varying snow levels—spring scenes show more snow lingering in the landscape. The granite formations, darkened and deeply worn by millennia of storms, heavy snow, and grinding ice, reveal a rugged beauty. Their weathered surfaces carry a sense of character, complexity, and personality. Just as people in North America vary by region, so too do the continent’s mountains and rocks. Scenes like these invite slow, immersive visual exploration—always rewarding to the attentive eye.

This gallery also includes what might seem at first an unlikely subject: the Corn Lily, or more precisely, the Veratrum plant. Veratrum is an herbaceous perennial that thrives on the slopes and alpine meadows of the Pacific Northwest mountains, as well as in moderate elevations across the Northern Hemisphere.

I’ve chosen to feature Veratrum because, to me, it embodies the spirit and texture of alpine meadow environments. While these areas are rich with dazzling wildflowers and diverse flora, Veratrum stands out as an exceptional subject for black and white photography. Its broad leaves, marked by bold stripes and fine striations, unfurl in early season with elegant curves and hypnotic corkscrew shapes.  Another notable image of Veratrum may be seen on the About page of this site.

September, 2021