BoscoMountainPhoto News & Travels

November Photo Finalists

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:16:00 +0000

Two of my photos entered into last month's BetterPhoto.com Nature and Landscapes photo contest have been selected as Finalists and move on to the next round of judging. The photos selected are one of Cathedral Peak in Yosemite Nat'l Park, and one of Glacier Basin in Mt. Rainier Nat'l Park. Coincidentally, both of these images are also featured in my 2011 photo calendar, The Beauty of Lakes.

November Editor's Picks

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 18:15:00 +0000

Seven out of seven photos I entered into BetterPhoto.com's November photo contest have been selected as Editor's Picks and move on to the next round of judging. One is a photo of the black pebble beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park on Maui, and one of the Glacier Basin area on Mt. Rainier; the remaining are all selections from my recently posted John Muir Trail photos: Cathedral Peak, Lower Cathedral Lake, Garnet Lake, and Lyell Canyon. Three of these—Cathedral Peak, Garnet Lake, and Glacier Basin are also featured in my new 2011 photo calendar "The Beauty of Lakes" available now at Lulu.com. Click on over to my website to see all of the new John Muir Trail photos, and my gallery of Editor's Picks—some of my very best images from over the last couple of years.

2011 Calendar Now Available!

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:32:00 +0000

Well after a long summer hiatus, working on numerous other projects, I'm getting back online and getting the website and blog up to date. To kick off the "re-launch" of my website and blog, I'm happy to announce that my first photo calendar for 2011, "The Beauty of Lakes," is now available thru Lulu.com. It features some of my favorite and most spectacular images from Yosemite, Crater Lake, North Cascades, Mt. Rainier, Banff and Yoho National Parks, as well as the Ansel Adams and Alpine Lakes wilderness areas and much more. I've also included several earth-friendly and fun dates and holidays, like National Trails Day, America Recycles Day (though that should be every day!), and Chocolate Cake Day! So click on over to Lulu.com and get one of your own for just $14.99.

In other news, I've been hard at work over the last month processing photos from this past summer's exploits. I wound up having to leave the John Muir Trail unfinished after getting sick a little over half-way through. I returned though to log many more photographic miles around Mt. Rainier and North Cascades National Parks, and a spectacular early fall backpack around Central Oregon's Broken Top in the Three Sisters Wilderness. All of these and many more will soon be appearing on my website.

I've also been wrapping up several assignments for Backpacker and Washington Trails magazines, including several hiking feature and gear review articles that will start appearing in 2011.

So check out the updated Bosco Mountain Photo. Though it may look similar on the home page, I've gone and rearranged the gallery selections, making things easier to find, and smaller, more feature-oriented selections. I've also added an improved Features page, highlighting recent publications, a Guestbook page where you can post questions and comments, and a new Shop page where you can order my new 2011 calendar "The Beauty of Lakes," or photo prints.

As always, this is a continual work in progress, so keep checking back for the latest photo and content updates...

JMT Month is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:09:00 +0000

It's been a while since my last posting. Things have been extremely busy over the last month. In preparation for my long adventure ahead, I've been spending my time finishing a variety of assignments for Backpacker and Washington Trails. For Backpacker, there have been many, many new GPS tracks getting done - largely from the huge amount of hiking I've been doing to condition for my trip - as well as the first of several "Rip & Go" mini-features to go in next year's lineup. For Washington Trails, I wrapped up a feature article on Oregon's John Day Fossil Beds that will be appearing in the Sept/Oct issue later this summer. Also for Washington Trails, I've been selected to join their gear review team, so will soon be testing and suggesting new outdoors gear from popular outdoor manufacturers.

In photo news, with all the hiking lately, I have an enormous backlog of imagery that needs to be processed and posted on the site. Included are numerous hiking locations on Mt. Hood, Mount St. Helens, and the Clackamas Wilderness. And JMT will hardly be the end of my season, as when I return, I still have several locations on Mt. Rainier, the North Cascades, Oregon's Sisters, and more on Mt. Hood to hike/photograph for various assignments. I'm looking at doing a major site refresh when I return, so new imagery will slowly get added later in the year.

Keeping it short for now; lots to do this week. I'm hiking JMT with 90GB of camera memory, so anticipate coming back with an enormous task to handle. I'm considering creating a photo book of my adventure; more details on that to come...

Wish me luck!

Washington Trails: Classic Backpacks

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:18:00 +0000

The July/Aug issue of Washington Trails is now available, with this issue's feature being on outstanding backpacking trips throughout the state. Highlighted are three areas: the Glacier Peak Wilderness (on my own to-do list now for several years); the rugged and remote Goat Rocks area; and Olympic's own Enchanted Valley, penned and photographed by yours truly.

This was a fun article to write, as it was a highly memorable trip. As I mention in the article, we happened across this location in our guidebook by accident, as were were actually looking up a similarly-named location: Enchantment Lakes. After checking out the description of this hike, and the author's comparison to a Hawaiian-like valley filled with rainforest and waterfalls, we just had to do this one. As it turned out, this was our first backpacking trip where we got to see a bear in the wild. It was quite an exhilarating experience, and a lasting memory.

The two-page spread features a moderately-detailed summary of our hike (including our bear-sighting!) and three photos from the trip—two of which include Mitzi; because WTA continues to love photos of Mitzi. See the article online, or pick up a copy.

Next up is a feature piece about the John Day Fossil Beds, in Central Oregon. That one is currently in the works, and will be appearing in the Sept/Oct issue...

WTA's August Hike-a-Thon

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:19:00 +0000

Summer is hiking time! And August is Hike-a-Thon time! Hit the trails and help raise funds for the Washington Trails Association's continued support of wilderness advocacy, trail maintenance, and outdoors education throughout Washington state. And you don't have to be a Washington resident, or even hike in Washington to participate. Log any miles, from any named trails, anywhere, for the entire month of August. I'll be counting my JMT miles! And better yet, there's prizes! So not only are you doing something you love, and helping raise funds for the continued support of outdoor recreation, you might just claim a reward too. Prizes include gear from Mountain Hardwear, MSR, Teko, Clif Bar, and more. Check out the Hike-a-Thon website for more info. Registration begins July 1.

And that lovely young lady on the Hike-a-Thon poster? Well that's Mitzi, from our backpack into Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness' Enchantments region a couple years ago. She's perched above Vivien Lake, with Prussik Peak in the background. Nice job, Mitzi!

UPDATE
The sponsor sites are now live, so log on to my personal sponsor page and help me support WTA!

JMT 2010: June Update

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:14:00 +0000

The calendar continues clicking down towards my summer thru-hike on the John Muir Trail, now less than two months away. In the past few months, I've met several fellow JMT'ers via Facebook that will be on the trail near or at the same time as me. We've shared info, tips, and gear and food suggestions. Several local hikers have also posted current trail conditions. There's still alot of snow up there!

Gearwise, I'm pretty set. In the next month, before heading down to CA, I'll be taking several shorter backpacks in the Glacier Peak and Garibaldi areas where I'll be breaking in the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 tent. This ultralight solo tent weighs in under 3 lbs—including fly and footprint!—yet offers an ample 22 square feet of living space, and 37" of headroom. That's plenty of room for both me and my pack, safely away from chewing little critters. The compressed size—not including poles—is a super-compact 6" x 12". I bought this tent last year, near the end of the season, and haven't had the opportunity to use it yet, but I'm really looking forward to putting this lightweight little beauty into some high-country use. Available at REI and Mountain Gear.

Another recent milestone in the continuing preparations for JMT is that I have placed my ginormous food order with Packit Gourmet. I've mentioned in previous postings how great this food is. Filling my bear canister will be several packages of tortilla soup, chicken & dumplings, bangers & mash, and the super-tasty breakfast smoothies. I've also ordered alot of bulk dehydrated grocery items—meats and veggies—for some of my own concoctions from recipes found on TrailCooking.com, BackpackingChef.com, and of course, Backpacker.com. Add to that lots of Annie's noodles, instant mashed potatoes, energy bars, dehydrated fruit, granola, trail mix, and some awesome beef jerky made by one of Oregon's own local farmers. Once everything is in hand, likely early July, I'll be spending a good deal of time repackaging and trying to squeeze those last 14 days worth of food into that bear can...

Tracks on Trails

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:52:00 +0000

The Washington Trails Assn. has recently produced a new Pocket Naturalist Guide featuring many of the animals commonly seen around the Northwest. The laminated, fold-out guide contains images of over 40 animals and large birds, from tiny pika, chimpmunks, and marmots to foxes, eagles, elk, moose, large cats, and bears. It features illustrations of their tracks and information for size comparison and other traceable features. An additional section also suggests some of the best hiking locations for viewing specific animals. And featured on the back of the guide—representing our own two-legged species—is a photo of Mitzi hiking above Mt. Rainier's Glacier Basin.

This great new guide—small and light enough to stash in any pack or pocket for quick reference—is only available thru the Washington Trails Assn. as an exclusive membership premium for 2010. Log on to the WTA's membership page, become a member, or renew an existing membership, and under Additional Information, check the box for Tracks Pocket Field Guide. Membership funds for joining the Washington Trails Assn. directly support trails and wildlands throughout Washington, and include a subscription to Washington Trails magazine. And speaking of Washington Trails, I'll have an article and photos about backpacking in Olympic's Enchanted Valley coming in the July/Aug. issue. Check it out!

Imagery Update

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Thu, 27 May 2010 22:53:00 +0000

The June issue of Backpacker is out now, and I have a small photo featured in the "New Trips Near You" section, spotlighting the Dog Mountain trail. One of the more popular spring hikes on the Washington side of the Gorge, Dog Mountain offers one of the better wildflower displays, along a steep, 3-mile trail to the summit; with a nice 7-mile loop option. See the GPS track and more photos of this hike at Backpacker.com.

Its been a while since I've posted a photo update, and I have quite the backlog of images to get posted up to the site. In the recent months, I've been quite busy with additional projects, including writing several articles for the Washington Trails Assn.'s magazine, Washington Trails, as well as working on new GPS tracks for Backpacker.com, and a brand new assignment for Backpacker magazine. I've also been experimenting with a new HDR program - PhotoMatix Pro - to breathe new life into some of my images.

Here's a sampling of new imagery that I'm still working on...

• Maui, HI: hiking, whales, etc. (in progress)
• Crater Lake, OR: winter snowshoe
• Forest Park, OR: local trails
• Columbia Gorge, OR: Wauna & Mitchell Point hikes
• Siouxon Creek, WA: falls trail
• Falls Creek, WA: falls loop

Coming soon will be a selection of trails and images from the Central Oregon area, including Smith Rock, The Badlands, Tumalo Falls, and Dome rock. And as the snows clear and higher trails start drying out, look for images from trails in the Clackamas Foothills and the southern Mt. Hood area.

And JMT is coming...

Isn't that Slik!

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Wed, 26 May 2010 22:15:00 +0000

As I wrap up my search for new gear for this summer's JMT trek, a new tripod had been on the list for a while. My current Manfrotto tripod was just too heavy and bulky for such an extended trip. I wanted something compact, lightweight, and reasonably affordable. A $600 carbon-fiber model (without head!) was just too far out of my budget. But recently my search has come to an end, as I have acquired the Slik Sprint Mini II tripod.

The Sprint Mini is not a full-size tripod, but not a tabletop model either. Fully opened, it reaches a 32" height (42" with column extended), with legs that can be positioned at three different angles. The mini ballhead (included) is capable of stably supporting up to 4.5 lbs. - more than enough for my D90 and 10mm wide angle. And best of all, the Sprint Mini weighs in at just 1.5 lbs. and closes down to just 14" - perfect for slipping into a water bottle pocket, or strapping to the back of my pack.

I've already used the Sprint Mini on several local dayhikes and have been extremely happy with its performance and support. I'm now looking forward to putting it to use in the High Sierra...

Available at Adorama.com

JMT 2010: Chow Time

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:50:00 +0000

There's alot of opinions about backpacking food among the outdoors community. It ranges from the completely-do-it-yourselfers on one end, measuring out their cous cous by the gram and dehydrating their own zuccini, to the grab-a-pouch-of-dehydrated-stroganoff-and-handfull-of-energy-bars-and-hit-the-road crowd. I probably fall somewhere in between. I like good food, but I don't believe that a hiking menu should should be too labor intensive. Or suck.

Early in my backpacking career, a trip into the Grand Canyon with a pre-packaged meal that turned out to be completely disgusting has since prompted me to try everything at home before getting stuck choking it down on the trail. Since then, I started balancing my backpacking menus with a combination of easy, homemade one-pot meals using instant rice, potato flakes, pouched meats, dehydrated veggies, etc., with a select few pre-packaged dehydrated meals (pre-tested) that were reasonably satisfying. This is, until I discovered Packit Gourmet. Their meals are incredible, and I can't stop raving about them, and recommending them to friends and fellow hikers.

It started with an Editor's Choice article in Backpacker about something called Austintacious Tortilla Soup. I love tortilla soup, and am always looking for the next best thing in backpacking food. I ordered several of their meals to give them a shot. Holy cow! Chicken and veggies that tastes like chicken and veggies, not chemically-flavored styrofoam! Flavors that are out of this world; and many of their ingredients are organic. They're not just your add-a-cup-of-hot-water-and-wait meals. They include extra touches to enliven the backcountry dining/flavor experience like concentrated broth packets, salsas, spices, crispy tortilla chips, or tasty cornbread toasties. I could eat their tortilla soup for all 30 days on the JMT this summer! But I'm not, when there's other dishes like Dottie's Chicken & Dumplings, Bangers & Mash (with real sausage sticks!), and Tuscan Beef Stew with Polenta that tastes like it was just ordered at an Italian bistro. Both their bean burritos and burger wraps are super easy - and super tasty! And their breakfast offerings - always the hardest meal for me to plan, and usually ends up being a granola bar - are just as awesome. The flavor-packed fruit smoothies are a great morning pick-me-up, and their Migas del Sol egg dish will have me breaking the stove out in the mornings.

Any way about it, Packit Gourmet is at the top of their game when it comes to tasty, quality backpacking food options. For the do-it-yourselfers, they offer the same ingredients that make up their meals in small and large bulk packages to allow you to customize your own menu, or for the the seriously menu-challenged, complete menu packages. I now have the confidence that I will be dining well, with minimal hassle, on my big trip this summer, and future trips to come...

Washington Trails: Hike the Gorge, Again

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:55:00 +0000

The new May/Jun issue of Washington Trails is out this week, featuring my 3-page article recommending the best hikes in the Columbia Gorge for spring waterfalls and wildflowers. WTA asked me to come up with my top picks - not an easy thing to do. What, with 100s of miles of trails and over 40 named and accessible waterfalls, where does one even begin. It took me several days just to narrow down my selections, choosing from both popular and lesser-known trails. It wound up almost being split down the middle - or split down the river, you could say - with the best waterfall hikes on the Oregon side and the best wildflower hikes on the Washington side. The article also features four of my photos from several of these hikes. Check it out on WTA's website.

Going Wide.

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:21:00 +0000

In anticipation of all the stunning landscapes I'll be hiking thru this summer on the John Muir Trail - as well as numerous other locations I'll be covering up until then - I've added a new lens to the inventory to capture as much of the scene as possible - the Nikkor 10-24mm ultra-wide angle lens. It provides a big 110º photo angle using two ED and three hybrid aspherical lens elements, and features the exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor. At a recent photo seminar I attended, this lens came highly recommended by long-time photography professionals. I'm eagerly looking forward to getting this lens out in the field and generating some dramatic landscapes - keep an eye on my site for new photos coming soon. Purchased at Adorama.com.

Facebook and Other News

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:06:00 +0000

Lots of little bits and pieces going on lately...

• Added a Facebook page for BoscoMountainPhoto where I'll be posting mini-blurbs, updates, features, travel plans, etc.

• Was contacted by the photo editors of Canada's Explore magazine with interest in some of my Banff imagery. This might be the start of another good association.

• The May issue of Backpacker is out now. During the winter months, they polled the map correspondents team for our favorite picks in our home regions. See what we offered up for the Northwest.

• Editorial for WTA and Washington Trails continues. The geology feature was apparently very well received by readers. I've completed my feature piece on hiking the Columbia River Gorge and that will be appearing soon in the May/Jun issue. Next up is backpacking in Olympic NP for the Jul/Aug issue.

• A random search the other day returned a posting of a photo I had licensed to the Experience WA project over two years ago. It has now shown up on the website of the Central Cascades Geotourim Project.

• Spring in the Northwest has been iffy so far. A late season storm added more snow to the mountains that will extend the wait to get back to the high country. Lower elevation locations are starting to dry out however, trees and flowers are blooming, and waterfalls are gushing - so it's time for some hiking! The most recent was a nice day trip along the Siouxon Creek trail in Washington's Southern Cascades. A new track will be going up on Backpacker.com soon, as well as photos on my own website.

• And finally, JMT plans are still in the works, however there's not alot new happening. All permits and reservations are done, and itinerary is finalized. Most gear has been acquired, and I'll continue to review some of the items I'll be taking. The next big task will be organizing and sending each of my four food drops, but that won't occur until mid-July. In the meantime, there's lots of conditioning hikes planned on the local trails.

• Some of this summer's hikes on the itinerary: Olympic's Enchanted Valley, Glacier Peak's Spider Gap, Garibaldi Lake in B.C., and summiting South Sister in Oregon's Central Cascades...

Lots Happening with WTA

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:15:00 +0000

The Mar/Apr issue of Washington Trails has been out for a little while now featuring my contribution to the Exploring Washington's Geology special feature. I was given a full page to highlight five hikes exhibiting unique geologic significance throughout the state. I wanted to show the diversity of Washington's geology, so selected hikes that display volcanic – Mt. St. Helens and the Columbia Gorge's Beacon Rock; tectonic – the Olympic coast and alpine regions; and glacial/erosional – the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The article, as well as the entire geology feature, can be viewed on WTA's website.

Coming soon in the May/Jun issue I will have a three-page feature in the Northwest Traveler section highlighting waterfall and wildflower hikes in the Columbia Gorge. It wasn't easy trying to narrow down my favorite hikes in this area since there are so many spectacular trails and things to see. In the end, I went with a mix of popular and lesser-known trails – Upper Latourell Falls, Eagle Creek, Cape Horn, Dog Mountain and Coyote Wall, to name a few. All of them are outstanding hikes. Several of my photos will be accompanying the article, as well as several stunning wildflower photos by another local photographer. This issue should be available around the end of the month.

And big news that just came in today! WTA contacted me to let me know that one of my photos (previously used for a small, promotional piece) was selected to be used again for WTA's annual Backcountry Expo poster. The photo is of my wife, Mitzi, atop Maple Pass in North Cascades Nat'l Park, peering down at Lake Ann far below. That will be a nice addition to the website portfolio.

Photo of the Week #12

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:59:00 +0000

Okay, so my attempts at keeping up my Photo of the Week feature have been spotty at best. Sadly, there's always too many things that like to interfere with my true passions - hiking and photography. Anyways. For this week's photo, I'm posting one of the Nakalele Blowhole on the northwest coast of Maui. I'm still sorting thru photos from that trip (not to mention the Crater Lake snowshoe trip) and wanted to share one of the more powerful eruptions that I happened to catch. The spouting blowhole is caused by the high surf flowing up thru an old lava tube and spouting out a small "skylight." In really heavy surf, the spout can reach up to 60'. This particular attraction is located just off the highway, about a half hour north of Lahaina. A short quarter-mile walk leads down to the blowhole area.

JMT 2010: Food Safe

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:16:00 +0000

The black bears of Yosemite and the High Sierra have gained quite the reputation of being notorious food thieves. Especially to careless campers and backpackers. This has prompted the numerous ranger districts within the areas to implement strict food storage requirements. Backpackers are required to use hard-sided food canisters at all times in the backcountry. I'll be using two such bear canisters on my JMT hike this summer – the large BearVault 500 and the half-size BearVault 450. Both feature a screw-top lid with locking latch mechanism, and impact-resistant polycarbonate construction proven to be both black and brown bear resistant. The 500 can has a 700 cubic inch capacity, and claims to hold enough food for two hikers for a week; the 450 model has a 440 cubic inch capacity. I'll be starting JMT with the larger 500 can, and during the first half of the trip will be carrying at most 6 days worth of food and toiletries, counting for resupply stops. Pretty easy for a solo hiker. The big test will be the final resupply at Muir Trail Ranch, about half-way along the trail. From there, the only way to resupply would be to hire a very expensive packer to cache in a supply, or take a multi-day hike in to cache a supply yourself. I'm opting for a little extra weight for a few days. At the last resupply, I'll be mailing myself the smaller can, pre-loaded with food and extras, because try as I might, I just don't think I can cram 14 days worth of food into the one (though I'll probably try, just to test it).

Speaking of JMT food, I've been testing all sorts of backpacking food options, settling in on what my month-long menu will consist of. I'll be reviewing some of my choices soon...

Photo of the Week #10

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:57:00 +0000

OK, so I missed a few weeks, being in Hawaii, and dealing with work craziness for the couple following. Haven't had a whole lot of time to dig into photos of the trip. Also been distracted a bit with JMT plans and prepping. But I have completed my transfer of over 1,100 photos and will now start sifting thru, as well as start working on the five GPS tracks that will soon be going up on Backpacker.com. The areas around the island that I wound up photographing the most were Haleakala Crater, the northwest coast and the Nakalele Blowhole, La Perouse Bay in the south, and the Wai'anapanapa State Park and Waimoku Falls trail near Hana. And whales - lots of whales. Even managed to catch a few breaching! Quite an incredible sight to see. I probably won't be overloading the site with photos, but rather post a small sample selection from each area.

In other news, I just completed my second feature article for Washington Trails magazine - this one about waterfalls and wildflowers in the Columbia River Gorge. Look for that piece, along with several photos in the May/Jun issue coming out in about another month. Also, I'm especially looking forward to the May issue of Backpacker as there will be a short feature about me (!!!) and my favorite hikes around the Northwest.

This weekend its off to Crater Lake in southern OR for some snowshoeing and - of course - photo shooting. More to add to the already long list of imagery to sort thru...

JMT 2010 - Permit Reserved!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:25:00 +0000

I've been counting down the days to JMT permit application day for the last several months, steadily watching the summer trailhead quotas fill up. Due to the popularity of hiking in Yosemite Valley and backcountry, the national park keeps very close tabs and tight quotas on the number of permits issued to backpackers. For the time that I have selected, mid-August thru mid-September - the "prime time" to go, for lack of bugs and better weather conditions (knocking wood) - the permits started going fast starting a couple weeks ago. Finally today was my day to apply - holding to the 24-week application term. I had my application in at 8am this morning and my first, second and third choices for trailhead entry were denied about 10 minutes later. Not discouraged, and having numerous backup plans, I quickly submitted a new application with alternate trailhead choices. About an hour later I received one of the best emails of the year - permit application accepted! I had to settle for a trailhead in the Tuolumne Meadows area, which will require a little backtracking for me to do the "complete" trail, from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley to the end point at Mt. Whitney, but the 29-day window I allowed for has some freedom to make adjustments. My entry date will be Aug. 10, and exit date Sept. 8. Now the planning goes into high gear! I'm still gearing up, testing new foods, and starting up a rigorous conditioning program in preparation. I'll continue posting updates as day 0 approaches...

In the meantime, I also just returned from Maui with over 1,000 new photos - which I'll be sorting and processing thru in the coming weeks - and 5 new GPS tracks that will be going to Backpacker.com. The next several Photos of the Week will likely be from The Valley Isle - Haleakala, Hana, the northwest and south coasts, and lots of humpback whales! Stay tuned...

More Washington Trails and Off to Maui!

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:14:00 +0000

Last week, I got a sneak peek at the March/April issue of Washington Trails magazine, and the section that I contributed to the multi-issue geology feature that will be running this year. It's a nice full page, featuring five of my images from hikes around Washington that exhibit unique geological features. It's accompanied by several more stories highlighting the geologic significance of Washington, and where hikers can go to see some truly unique formations and features. In addition, I've also been granted assignments for the next several issues, on features covering the Columbia Gorge, backpacking in Olympic Nat'l Park, and Oregon's unusual John Day Fossil Beds.

Tomorrow, I'll be flying off the the island of Maui for the next 10 days. I'll be scouring the island - putting the new Nikon to work on its first big trip - looking to capture the beauty of The Valley Isle. I have two hikes planned; one going back to Haleakala Nat'l Park and descending into the crater and visiting the colorful Ka Lu'u o Ka 'O'o cinder cone; the other to the west side village of Hana and exploring the Bamboo Forest and Waimoku Falls. I'm sure I'll be coming home with enough images to keep me busy for several weeks. I'll also be tracking these for Backpacker magazine, so look for GPS tracks to go up on their website in the coming months.

And speaking of tracking, I'll be carrying my SPOT Satellite Tracker with me on the hike in Haleakala. Click on the link here, or on my home page, to see a live GPS/Google map track of the hike!

Then, on the return home, I'll be submitting my application for my JMT permit! 2010's starting to gear up...

Photo of the Week #6

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:53:00 +0000

In anticipation of the upcoming trip back to the island of Maui, this week's photo comes from a couple years ago on our first trip to the island. This image is of the Ka Lu'u o Ka 'O'o Crater and the Ko'olau Gap in Haleakala Nat'l Park. It was late afternoon as we were hiking back up the Sliding Sands Trail to the crater rim at 10,004' when clouds started pouring into the crater through the gap, creating quite a fantastic scene. On this trip, we didn't have time to take the side trail to colorful Ka Lu'u o Ka 'O'o, but this will be one of our destinations next week. This particular photo was also featured in Backpacker's recent Nov. 2009 issue in the National Parks Hall of Fame feature. See more images from Haleakala and the Sliding Sands Trail on my website.

Photo of the Week #5

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:24:00 +0000

Today was such a gorgeous day in Portland - yet I found myself without a camera - as I wandered around downtown, and was able to spy a gleaming, snowcapped Mt. Hood thru the tall buildings. It inspired me to post my photo of the week from one of the better weather hiking trips from last year, to the Santiam Lakes in Oregon's Mt. Jefferson Wilderness. I especially like the way the reflections of the sky and trees give the water of Duffy Lake a marblesqe appearance, all the while backed by the jagged, volcanic peak of Three-Fingered Jack. This photo has been slightly HDR-ized using onOne's PhotoTools kit. I tend not to care for many overly HDR-ized photos, as they tend to appear too processed, and lose their sense of reality; so I try to keep any effects I use to enhance my images very spare, to maintain their natural appearance. See more photos of the Santiam Lakes and Three-Fingered Jack on my website.

JMT 2010 - Bed Time

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:10:00 +0000

JMT permit application day is coming up in just a few weeks. I already mentioned the pack I'll be taking - the Gregory Palisade 80 - so thought I would keep sharing with the gear I'll be filling it with for the 4-week trek. Starting from the bottom of the pack, which I'll be stuffing in the bag compartment, will be the Therm-a-Rest ProLite Plus sleeping pad, and the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 down sleeping bag.

The Therm-a-Rest ProLite Plus (regular size) is a self-inflating 1.5" thick mattress that weighs in at a mere 24 ounces. The full-sized pad measures 20" wide by 72" long, yet rolled and compressed is just 5" x 11" - about the size of a liter water bottle. I have not used this pad in the field - this was a present from the Festivus Fairy - but am looking forward to breaking it in on several smaller backpacks before the JMT. Until now, I've been using Therm-a-Rest Trail Pro pad; this newer one comes in about a half-pound lighter, but the compressibility is the big feature.

After those long days of hiking - and ample time stargazing - I'll be snuggling into my Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 down sleeping bag. This is also a recent acquisition, thanks to the latest sale at REI. For several years I've been using a Marmot Sawtooth +32 for my 3-season bag with no complaints. For the big trip though, I'm counting every ounce, and going as compact as possible. The MH bag (regular) weighs in with a super-lightweight 23 ounces, and - like the Therm-a-Rest - compresses to about the size of a Nalgene bottle. The Phantom 32 features 800-fill goose down in a performance cut shape, and is treated with a DWR finish. The combination of these two items will allow me to stuff both the pad and the bag into the pack's bag compartment - with room to spare!

Both items are available at REI.com, and other outdoor retailers.

Photo of the Week #4

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:04:00 +0000

This last weekend gave all of us in the Northwest just the break from the rain we all wanted - a gorgeous sunny day! I took advantage of the day to head out into the Columbia River Gorge for dual reasons - to take a nice afternoon hike, and to shoot some imagery for a piece I was working on for Washington Trails magazine. This week's photo is a simple shot of the Columbia Gorge, looking westward, from atop Beacon Rock, on the Washington side of the river. Beacon Rock is an 840' plug volcano, with a narrow trail of bridges and switchbacks that leads to the top offering fantastic views up and down the river. For this particular photo, I employed onOne's PhotoTools kit to HDR-ize the image to spruce up its appearance and give alot more detail to the wonderful clouds in the sky that day.

Photo of the Week #3

noreply@blogger.com (Eli Boschetto) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:42:00 +0000

Last week was so crazy, the POTW is coming a bit late. My longing for the nicer days of spring to get here have prompted me to go browsing thru some of my favorite photos from the Columbia River Gorge. This one in particular is of Lower Multnomah Falls, with Benson Bridge above, and the upper falls visible beyond. This was taken on a particularly nice day last spring, with sunlight dancing on the lush greenery, and the falls misting heavily. And being a weekend, it was crowded. I shot this with a 0.7 second exposure to get the veiled look in the falls.

Since there hasn't been much exploring or shooting lately, I've been doing some writing. I recently completed an article assignment for the Washington Trails magazine, highlighting hikes in Washington exhibiting unique geologic features. It should be appearing in the March/April issue. I also completed a small piece for Backpacker, highlighting some of the best hiking and backpacking in the Northwest. That piece should be appearing in the May issue.

The countdown for JMT continues. I've finalized my 29 day itinerary, and will be applying for my permit next month. Coming sooner, we'll be escaping the rain for a while and heading to Maui for some hiking in Hana and Haleakala - and probably a mai tai or two. Then a few weeks after it'll be down to Crater Lake Nat'l Park for some snowshoeing. More details - and photos! - to come...