Splintercat

West Face in Winter

Splintercat — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 03:32:34 GMT

West Face in Winter

East Face from Gnarl Ridge

Splintercat — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 03:29:32 GMT

East Face from Gnarl Ridge

Cast Creek - Apparition Falls

Splintercat — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 03:19:43 GMT

Cast Creek - Apparition Falls

This is the gem that drew me to Cast Creek. The 125 foot, segmented drop is named for the fact that it can only be seen from across the Sandy River valley, along a short section of Lolo Pass Road, and only under certain weather condition. Even then, the long, skinny tiers blend in with the white snags that dot the canyon walls. This photo is stitched from three images, taken from the steep slope just east of the falls. To see images from the OPB trip to Apparition Falls in 2004 (and the followup trip in 2005), go to my website, then click on the "Oregon Backroads" banner: http://www.splintercat.org/index.html.

Cast Creek - Little Gorge Falls

Splintercat — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 03:14:09 GMT

Cast Creek - Little Gorge Falls

This beautiful 25-foot falls is located at the head of "Little Gorge", a narrow slot located immediately above Disappointment Falls. Look closely and you can see that Little Gorge Falls will not be segmented for long - the split flow is created by the huge downfall leaning on the lip of the falls, and will most certainly be carried downstream in some winter flood on Cast Creek.

Cast Creek - Disappointment Falls

Splintercat — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 03:10:13 GMT

Cast Creek - Disappointment Falls

Next in line after little Trillium Falls is the first of the large waterfalls on Cast Creek - roaring, 30-foot Disappointment Falls (so named because at this point the cross-country route up the canyon becomes very daunting). This poor photo doesn't do the falls justice - in part because of spray and sun glare on this particular visit, but also because of the amount of debris that had landed in the falls during the winter of 2003-04. The debris is gradually clearing, and will soon reveal the full extent of the falls again.

Cast Creek - Trillium Falls

Splintercat — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 03:02:31 GMT

Cast Creek - Trillium Falls

Though at just five feet, it is the tiniest of the four waterfalls on Cast Creek, Trillium Falls makes up for its small stature with picturesque charm. The falls also answers the question of what constitutes a "waterfall". For me, waterfalls occur when a stream cascades over permanent bedrock. Diminutive Trillium Falls qualifies on that front, albeit modestly.

Stafford Falls

Splintercat — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 23:12:25 GMT

Stafford Falls

This is the wide view of Stafford Falls, taken from the sketchy slope to the east of the falls, showing the 35 foot lower falls and 65-foot upper plunge. The name is unnofficial, and proposed as tribute to the late William Stafford, whose poem "Traveling in the Dark" takes place on the Wilson River Highway.

Stafford Falls - Lower Tier Detail

Splintercat — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 23:04:06 GMT

Stafford Falls - Lower Tier Detail

Another view of the lower, segmented tier of Stafford Falls. This graceful portion of the falls is reminiscent of Upper McCord Creek Falls in the Columbia Gorge.

Stafford Falls - Lower Tier

Splintercat — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 22:59:39 GMT

Stafford Falls - Lower Tier

This is the lower tier of beautiful Stafford Falls, located along the Wilson River Highway near Elk Mountain. Though the falls are visible from the highway (if you know where to look), getting to them requires a potentially treacherous ford of the Wilson River and a short bushwhack up Stafford Creek. Both names are unnofficial, and proposed as tribute to the late William Stafford, whose poem "Traveling in the Dark" takes place on the Wilson River Highway.

WestNanitchFalls2.jpg

Splintercat — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 03:26:22 GMT

WestNanitchFalls2.jpg

This pretty little falls gets no respect - located below one of many springs that feed into the West Fork of the Salmon, the falls are located a few feet from Timberline Road, yet few stop to appreciate their beauty. There is an East Nanitch Falls counterpart a few hundred yards up the road. Both are plainly visible from the highway, though not mapped or officially named.

Hideway Creek Falls

Splintercat — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 03:22:50 GMT

Hideway Creek Falls

Another view of Hideaway Creek Falls, this time showing the full extent of the lower tier. The falls are located just downstream from the trailhead to Shellrock Lake.

Hideaway Creek Falls

Splintercat — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 03:20:20 GMT

Hideaway Creek Falls

This unmapped, unnamed falls is located on the outlet from Hideaway Lake, near Frazier Mountain in Roaring River backcountry.

South Face from above White River Canyon

Splintercat — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 04:05:26 GMT

South Face from above White River Canyon

This is an evening view in late Fall from the Pacific Crest Trail, where the route skirts the lip of White River Canyon. A string of winter storms swept in a couple of days after this photo was taken, burying the scene under several feet of snow.

Mount Hood from Vista Ridge

Splintercat — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 04:01:58 GMT

Mount Hood from Vista Ridge

This is another unusual exposure -- the "sky" is actually the bottom of a very high cloud deck that had blocked the sun for most of the day. But during a 20 minute window just before sunset, the sun illuminated the scene under the cloud deck, giving the illusion of sky behind a sunlit mountain.

Tarns below McNeil Point

Splintercat — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:59:24 GMT

Tarns below McNeil Point

There is a bit of a story behind this image - the lower portion is from a late morning image, while the top is from a late afternoon exposure. Merged together, the combination is a "mind's eye" view that combines the best lighting for foreground and background.

Early Winter Sunset from Lolo Pass

Splintercat — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:57:06 GMT

Early Winter Sunset from Lolo Pass

Lolo Pass remains one of the most photogenic perspectives of Mount Hood, despite taking the brunt of civilization's "improvements" over the years, from extensive clearcuts in all directions to four sets of transmission lines draped over the pass. Through all this, the mountain continues to provide a staggering backdrop, especially at sunset. This photo was taken during the dry winter of 2004-05, when droughts kept Lolo Pass snow-free into January.

Mount Hood from the Elk Cove Trail

Splintercat — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:52:19 GMT

Mount Hood from the Elk Cove Trail

This is an evening view from the rocky viewpoint along the Elk Cove Trail, a couple of miles below Elk Cove, proper, and high above the Coe Branch canyon.

Mount Hood from shoulder of Cooper Spur

Splintercat — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:50:12 GMT

Mount Hood from shoulder of Cooper Spur

This foreground in this view shows some of the tundra wildflowers that manage to survive at nearly 8,000 elevation in an environment that is snow-covered as much as nine months of the year, and a desert for the other three months - amazing!

Mount Hood and the Eliot Glacier

Splintercat — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:46:35 GMT

Mount Hood and the Eliot Glacier

Late Summer view of the lower icefall on the Eliot Glacier from the Cooper Spur trail.

East Face of Mount Hood from Lookout Mountain

Splintercat — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 03:45:00 GMT

East Face of Mount Hood from Lookout Mountain

This is an early Winter view of the east face, taken the morning after a major storm had passed through.