I wanted to share a little hiking/photo adventure with you from our trip to the Pacific Northwest. My son-in-law and I love hiking and have been on numerous hikes together. For the last few years I have had to succumb to the fact that with my knees continuing to get worse, I was to the point I couldn’t do much hiking at all. As I have mentioned for those of you that follow me, I had knee replacement surgery on my right knee last year and in June of this year, my left knee. My personality is such that I am all over the physical therapy needed to get back to “normal”. I was looking forward to this trip for many reason, one being to get back into my love of hiking in the Pacific Northwest and the photo opportunities they present.
So on his day off, he suggested a specific trail he knew I would like called Lake 22 Trail near Granite Falls, Washington. It’s about 4 miles one way with an elevation gain of about 1500 feet. At the top of the elevation gain is a lake that the trail goes around….perfect!!
On the day of the hike, it’s raining and turns into a steady solid drizzle as we near the trail head. My backpack is waterproof along with my jacket, so we are good to go. The only thing I was concerned with was my camera getting wet. With that in mind, I pre-set everything to a landscape mode with exposure on auto. That way, all I had to do was pull the camera out and snap pictures quickly (I had it hanging around my neck under may jacket). Perfect….we start out and the rain picks up and we are hiking switchback after switchback gaining altitude. When I see a shot worth taking, I stop, unzip my jacket, grab the camera, snap a few and put it back under my jacket before it gets soaked.
As we started the hike, the trail was well maintained and smooth. The further we got and the longer we hiked, the trail turned into a rocky creek. I didn’t realize how long it had been since I had been able to walk by securing my footing on one rock….balanced myself as I moved my other leg to the next rock keeping me out of the water. At first it wasn’t at all natural and I looked like a drunk initially. We were both laughing at it and eventually it all came back to me. But of course he thought it would then be better if he followed me in case I fell, thus the attached two pictures. I got past that issue and all was good. We had a great hike and I took what I thought would be great pictures.
I was finally getting the balancing thing nailed!!
Well, when we got back to their house and I pulled my camera out to put it away, I noticed that the dial had gotten turned to “manual” for all pictures. In other words, somewhere in the “in and out” from under my jacket I ended up losing my automatic exposure and focus ending up with very, very dark pictures that even all of the digital support of photoshop couldn’t resurrect. I tried every trick in the book when we got home, but to no avail except for one capture and that is the one I have added to the end of the post.
This particular stream was halfway up the trail as we climbed in altitude. I snapped it on the way back down and believe me there was more water coming down this little stream then there was when we were headed up.
Thoughts?
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Beautiful post
Thank you very much!
Always welcome Kirt
I’m sorry that you lost so many photos, Kirt. The photo you included is lovely.
Thanks Dan! It was such a beautiful hike!!
Sometimes, we have to rely on our memories.
Stunning pictures!
Thanks Leyla!!
It’s great to get out in nature. I’m glad you had a good hike. It looks like fun.
I love hiking and what’s not to love about getting out into nature…so beautiful! We clearly don’t have trails like that down here in Southern California. You sure do in your neck of the woods!!!
I love the one photo that came out. It reminds me of how lush it is in the NW. And kudos Kirt for your rehab, relearning to hike, even if you had a few wabbly steps.
Loved the hike….so wonderful to be able to do it pain free!! We had some good laughs over my wobbling…..thanks Brad…have a great week!
That is wonderful news Kirt. Kudos on your healing.
How fun you had a wonderful hike but I’m so sorry you lost your pictures.
The one that came out it absolutely wonderful! Liked seeing you too!
For awhile there I felt like a little kid learning how to balance…we got a good laugh out of it!! Thanks for the feedback on the one I did get! It’s so beautiful up there!!
Wow what an adventure, Kirt and your photographs are looking very nice. Good to know you are again on your feet with both your knee replacement. Way to go.
Thanks…I had 10 years of knee pain and it feels so good to be back to a normal.
Welcome and yes that is so good to be relieved of knee pain. Even my husband had one knee operation but it was partial knee replacement. He complains a little though at times otherwise all is good.
Still brings a smile to my face when I think of that hike….so beautiful and inspirational!!
Yes absolutely true and agree totally with your words Kirt 🙏🙏😊
At least the picture that turned out is a good one. Sounds like a great day!
It was awesome!!! Thanks for stopping by Darlene! (Again….loved your post on Sue’s blog!!
And thank you for your positive comments on my guest post.
What a stunning hike! Even a little dark, we can still see how beautiful the hike is, so green! I also have a bad knee and hiking has gotten more difficult, someday I will get a new one, I sure do miss the trails!
Both of mine were from 35 years of running and bad genes…:) I have four siblings and I’m the only one that has had an issue. Mine started in my early to mid 50’s (66 now). It’s only been the last couple of years it actually stopped me from hiking. ugh…but it all feels back to normal at this point. If yours leads to knee replacement at some, just remember the physical therapy afterwards is key to get your joint back to near normal…..thanks for stopping by!!
Oh, how sad that all your photos were spoiled. The one you got is gorgeous, though.
And hooray for your new knees! It must have felt both exhilarating and a bit scary to test yourself on that trail. I’m glad it worked out well and that hiking is feeling normal for you again – what a wonderful treat! Wishing you many happy trails ahead… 🙂
Thanks Diane…much appreciated! It was an awesome hike in spite of the pic issue!! I have to admit the initial balancing thing came as a surprise but was pretty funny to watch!
Wonderful to see you in the photos Kirt! I chuckled at your looking ‘drunk’ as you got used to walking on uneven terrain. About a decade ago I had my foot in a cast for 10 weeks. I so recall that feeling.
Like you did, I often carry my camera under my jacket in the rain. I’ve had the settings change as well. The photo you did get is a beauty.
I really enjoyed the post Kirt. Well done!
Thank you very much Sue for the feedback. I still chuckle thinking about it. Glad you understand the feeling… it is weird until you get your balance back in that kind of situation. Have a great weekend!!
Wow. I am very impressed by your new, functional knees AND your beautiful rainy hike with camera! I would guess that hiking in the rain is very high on the list of challenging activities for someone with new knee joints. Rats that your camera’s meter(s) slipped from auto to manual…
Thanks for the stopping by and commenting! I was not happy with myself for the camera slip up, but what are you gonna do…..I was just thrilled to be back out on the hiking trail with zero pain!! Have a great weekend!
What a great (and not so great?) experience, Kirt. The part that you actually got to go out and hike a trail that you love…and your body remembered what it had to do to navigate the terrain was super! But then you lost all your shots due to technical difficulties. Life is like that sometimes…eh? We focus so hard on one thing to the exclusion of the other. Truly a time when you have to focus on the good and let the bad slip away. Love Jared’s shot of YOU!!
Many best wishes to you and your family, Kirt. Stay well…be safe…and keep walking forward ❤
I so enjoyed that hike, I didn’t dwell on losing the shots. I still chuckle when I think about the balancing issue, but it did come back to me. I always feel blessed to spend time with our two daughters and son in laws up there. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings and good health to you! Have a great week!
Thanks, Kirt! Being with loved ones AND out in nature…doesn’t get much better than that. I am happy that you were able to “balance”…so much of life is all about balance!
Sweet Blessings
Looks like a great hike. The Pacific Northwest forest is so lush and beautiful. I’m glad you got that very nice cascade shot! A couple things you might consider: Trekking poles can really help when crossing rocky areas. I Optech rain sleeves when it rains which makes it possible to work in the rain. They are disposable but you can use them several times.
Thanks for the suggestions….I have been away from rain for so long, but always look forward to hiking the many trails in the Pacific Northwest. The balancing thing did come back to me after a short while. It really caught me by surprise as part of the Physical Therapy process includes balancing exercises, but not from one small rock to another. That type of hiking was very familiar to me in the past and assumed I still had it. Instincts and memory did kick in and all was well after we shared some great laughs and moved on. I am just happy to be able to hike those types of trails again (along with no more pain or limping just walking). Again, thanks for the suggestions…love your work!
Looks like a beautiful hike! So sorry to hear about your photos, I can only imagine how upsetting that must be. The one you got turned out very nice, love flowing water pictures!
Thanks…it was a great hike with a great son-in-law…that made up for mishap on the captures! Stunning country to hike in!
Such beautiful area to hike! Glad you had that time with your son-in-law!
I love this type of trail. My dog creatures enjoy hikes as well. What a beautiful waterfall capture!💗🍂🍮🍮🍂
Thank you very much!!