Dean Hebert Photography

 This is not the hike for someone out for a Sunday stroll, it's for serious hikers only! Over 1800 meters of elevation gain can sap the strength out of most and I was no exception.

 The day started overcast but the forecast was for clearing skies so I was hopefull for a good sunset.

 In the fall of 2018 I made several return trips to the Mount Baker wilderness, exploring the Chain Lakes, Lake Anne, and Ptarmigan Ridge.

 While pre-scouting the Chain Lakes I saw a spot that looked promising for a reflection shot of Mount Baker. From the parkinglot the trail dips down to Upper Bagley Lake before climbing up to a pass filled with fall colours.

 After Dan and I did a loop trip around the Three Sisters in Oregon, I felt a return to the southern portion would allow me to hit the highlights without doing as many miles per day.

 Starting from the Green Lakes Trailhead it's a fairly easy hike along Fall Creek. I enjoyed listening to the creek for the first part of the hike. After a couple of kilometers in the forest the trail splits and I headed west. I'd been driving all day so I wasn't feeling at the top of my game. Hal...

 With flights into Las Vegas so cheap, it makes a great launching pad for a trip around the Grand Canyon. After picking up the rental car we headed to one of our favourite destinations, the Valley of Fire. Always looking to explore new sights we drove to the Seven Sisters for a lunch stop. Then it was on to the CCC Cabins where we investigated the tiny homes built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. From there it was a short drive to Elephant Rock.

 A last minute cancellation meant that I was solo hiking again! I called Jasper to change my resevations and the lady I was talking to said that I should be aware that there was a very high level of grizzly bear activity in the valley! Great!

 Tonquin Valley is renown for it's muddy trails and hordes of mosquitos but by the end of August I found the trails mostly dry and pretty much bug free.

 With what I thought was going to be a relatively easy 14 kms to Switchbac...

 We made a return visit to Las Vegas for a friends birthday celebration and some of the people we were with, including our son, Devin, had never been to the Valley of Fire.

 Devin always wants to drive so I let him take the wheel of the rental. After a couple of quick stops at the entrance and the "Bee Hives", we passed the visitor center and started driving through a break in the red rock. Something caught Devin's eye and he turned the car around and drove slowly back until h...

 I've seen this ridge on the south side of Needle Peak, plenty of times and finally gave it a little reconnaissance.

 From below Flatiron, I skirted around Tastey Lake, and side-hilled a bit until the ridge dropped down to meet me. The best wildflower blooms had come and gone but I managed to find a few.

 A couple of years ago I "discovered" the amazing wildflower display in the bowl below Mount McGuire and I knew I had to get back and photograph this area again. 

 With no intention of summiting, I headed to the trail head in the late afternoon. The lower part of the road  is still ok but it's getting overgrown making for a lot of single lane driving. Then the road deteriorates rapidly and I switched to 4 wheel drive to save my tires.

 There was no one at ...

 Elk Mountain, my go-to location for a quick, after-work hike, combining some decent photo opportunities with a good cardio workout!

 In early summer the wild flowers are in full swing so I headed up a little after 5:00 pm hoping to catch the sunset on the summit.

The dense greenery of the lower slopes always has me looking for a good composition. I took some quick shots of these ferns, cranking the ISO on my camera up to 1600 and reducing the exsposure to try and get a ...

 We've been going to the Valley of Fire for years now because of the incredible scenery and I'd never been to "the wave". This short, easy hike leads to a cool rock feature.