Old Prints Of Long Walks

Continuing my search through old photos for ones suitable for the exciting project (actually two books) I mentioned in this post I came across two very different ones from very different walks. The above picture was taken in very hot weather on my Continental Divide Trail thru-hike in 1985. The walker is Scott Steiner who accompanied me for the first 500 miles. My caption on the back of the print just says "In The Montana Rockies". I think it was in the Scapegoat Wilderness. 

The second print is captioned "Dusk In Arctic Norway" and was taken on my length of Norway and Sweden walk in 1992. 

I wish I'd written more detailed captions!

Both images bring back many wonderful memories. On that section in Montana where the trail followed the crest of the mountains it was very dry and we had to carry several litres of water at times. The views were spectacular though. In Norway it was the opposite with much rain, streams to ford, and extensive mist. Dry camps with a sunset were rare but when it was clear the views were also spectacular. 

Both prints were taken with Ilford FP4 ISO 125 film and photographed for the digital images with my Sony a6700 camera and Sony E 35mm f1.8 lens at ISO 100, f2.2 at 1/30 second, handheld. To achieve a look as close to the prints as possible I used the Ilford FP4 setting in DxO Film Pack when processing the raw files in DxO PhotoLab. The first digital image looks almost identical to the print. For the second one I lightened the foreground to show a little more detail.

Mists In The Forest & The Photographs I Took

 

This week's weather has been mixed with much cloud and mist and some rain and sunshine. The mist has been fascinating though, curling through the forests and drifting half-way up hills. Photographing it has been absorbing. The above image is my favourite of the week. It took a little thought and movement to achieve. It's always satisfying when doing so ends with a result I'm happy with. 

Above is the first image I took looking down into this wooded glen. I quite like it but it doesn't have the intimate quality I wanted so I changed my position a little to include the fallen tree in the foreground and zoomed in to the depths of the glen, cutting out the sky, to get the picture at the top. I didn't have to vary the focal length much, just from 39mm to 45mm (APS-C),  but it made a huge difference. 

I zoomed in much further for the above image, right to the 135mm limit of my lens in fact. The steep eastern flank of Cairn Gorm had briefly emerged from the clouds and I loved the stand of trees with mist either side in the centre and thought the two together made for an interesting picture.

The above image took a little time and thought too. Initially I was attracted by the thin band of mist in the distance. But zooming in to 135mm produced the image below. I like the mist but there's too much of the less interesting background and not enough foreground.

It works better cropped to a panorama which puts more emphasis on the mist though I'm still not convinced by the background.

I pulled the zoom in for the next image (to 51mm) I like the rather ghostly aspens but the centre is too dark. I can lighten it of course but then the trees look too flat and dull.

Finally I looked at the scene more closely and decided to concentrate on the immediate foreground and to include the rock and the bracken. I liked the contrast between the sunlit oak tree and the lichen covered leafless birch tree in shadow. Finally I had a compostion that worked for me.

Meandering Thoughts On Recuperation, Local Walks, Photography

Across Strathspey to Cairn Gorm at dusk. November 9. Sony a6700, Sony 18-135mm lens at 125mm, ISO 100, f8 @ 1/25 seconds

Recuperation is frustrating! Especially when you feel well. A recent long-awaited operation (nothing serious but necessary before it became so) means I can’t lift anything heavy or drive for a couple of weeks and probably not carry a big pack for quite a few weeks more. But I feel energetic! Ah well, I guess November is a good month to miss hillwalking and camping if I must do so.

Sunset clouds. November 12. Sony a6700, Sigma 18-50 lens @ 18mm, ISO 400, f8 @ 1/320 second

As during the lockdowns this has made me aware of how grateful I am to live here, in this corner of the Cairngorms National Park. I can go for short walks in fields and woods with a backdrop of hills from the front door. These are the walks I do most weeks anyway. I’m just doing them more often now. And as the wound from the operation heals and doesn’t hurt so much I’ll start making them longer.

Dusk. November 10. Sony a6700, Sigma 18-50 lens @ 50mm, ISO 400, f8 @ 1/10 second

Of course there’s desk work to get on with – there always is – ranging from the tedious (accounts) to the interesting (gear reviews) and the exciting (new book project). Now the anaesthetic has worn off my brain is working!

Late afternoon clouds over the Cairngorms. November 12. Sony a6700, Sigma 18-50 lens @ 41mm, ISO 100, f8 @ 1/250 second

It’s an opportunity to concentrate on photography too – I can carry a camera! – and seek out different viewpoints and details. Maybe take out some lenses I rarely use. I’ve been thinking more about photography this year anyway, for several reasons. A *new camera, **new lenses, new processing software have all required attention. Finding old film photos for the upcoming book project and then scanning and processing them is also interesting and involving.

Across Strathspey to Bynack More at dusk. November 12. Sony a6700, Sigma 18-50 lens @ 50mm, ISO 50, f8 @ 1/30 second

The new processing software has recently had a major update (DXO PhotoLab 7) with enough changes that, having barely learnt how to use the previous version, I now have to start again in some areas. That said, the changes do make some processes easier and give more options for others so overall I am impressed. I’ll be posting some results soon.

There is still some autumn colour in the woods and recent days have seen skies clearing late in the afternoon and the low sun creating some gorgeous light.

Bynack More. November 8. Sony a6700, Sony 70-350mm lens @ 350mm, ISO 800, f6.3 @ 1/160 second

Anyway, it’s local pictures I’ll be posting the next few weeks. Mountains will only appear in the distance or else in telephoto images. Camps will have to wait.

*Sony a6700 - http://www.christownsendoutdoors.com/2023/08/photography-post-new-camera-surprises.html

** Sony 11mm f1.8, Sony 10-20mm f4, Sigma 18-50mm f2.8. I’ve written about the first two - http://www.christownsendoutdoors.com/2023/08/photography-thoughts-new-cameras-lead.html - but not yet the third, which I’ve only had just over a month. It supplements the Sony 18-135 f3.5 -f5.6, which I’ve had for many years. Overall I prefer the 18-135 because of the long reach but it’s not weather-sealed. The 18-50 is weather-sealed and also faster with a constant f2.8 aperture and so better for low light photography.

Pacific Crest Trail Memories

Searching for something amongst a pile of papers I came across my membership card for the Pacific Crest Club, which I joined when planning my 1982 PCT through-hike. Whatever I was looking for was forgotten as this little card brought back a rush of memories. I can't remember though how I heard about the Pacific Crest Club - no internet back then! It was set up and run by Warren Rogers, who had led exploratory walks along the proposed route in the 1930s, and produced basic strip maps of the trail. More on the history of the trail and the people involved here.

Warren Rogers with homemade pack in 1935

Warren was a huge help to me with much advice and practical assistance. He met me when I arrived - I'd never been to the USA or flown before - and invited me to stay with him before he drove me to the start. At his house he showed me the log books from his 1930s walks, which were fascinating. He also took me to a company who could drop ship supplies to me along the way, which was very useful as back then few of the places along the trail had suitable food for hikers. His enthusiasm for the trail was infectious.

Ten years ago I wrote a book about my 1982 PCT thru-hike. It's still available!

Myself on the PCT with a ridiculous load with everything needed for 3 weeks through the snowbound High Sierra.

John Muir Trust Wild Nature Diary & Wild Nature Calendar 2024

The annual John Muir Trust desk diary and a calendar are always worth looking forward to as both are packed with beautiful images of landscapes, nature, and wildlife by some brilliant photographers. Both items are edited, as they have been for many years, by nature, wildlife and adventure photographer John Beatty, who supplies some of the photographs.

The Wild Nature Diary has a beautiful and atmospheric cover photograph of early morning mists near Skelwith Bridge in Langdale in the Lake District by Mike Prince. There's a foreword by Scottish singer-songwriter and musician Karine Polwart, a preface by John Beatty, and a message from Jane Smallwood, Chair of the JMT, a Year Planner, introductory photos (including a superb image of Slioch in the NW Highlands by Lizzie Shepherd), and a page and photo per week.

The Wild Nature Calendar has a picture per month.

Either or both of these would make wonderful gifts for anyone who loves wild places and nature or you could buy them for your own office or study. Purchasing them helps the Trust too as all profits goes towards its work.

The Wild Nature Diary costs £16.50, the Wild Nature Calendar £13. They're available here.

 

A Look At The December Issue Of The Great Outdoors

With snow having already fallen on the Scottish hills it's timely that the latest issue of The Great Outdoors features a guide to winter skills with twelve pages of advice from instructors at Glenmore Lodge on everything from avalanches to navigation in a whiteout. Alex Roddie also gives some tips on winter walking and backpacking. There's advice on hiking at night and Andrew Galloway describes the joys of winter nocturnal walks. In the gear pages Peter Macfarlane and Kirsty Pallas review winter walking boots. Kirsty also reviews crampons and David Lintern reviews ice axes for winter walking and easier mountaineering.

In the Cairngorms, October 23, 2023

Also in winter James Roddie climbs Beinn Alligin in deep snow in a feature illustrated with his dramatic and spectacular photos. The opening photo spread is a superb snowy winter photo of the Snowdon Horseshoe and Llyn Llydaw by Alan Novelli.

Away from winter and Britain James Forrest goes walking in the mountains of British Columbia and meets a bear.

In shorter pieces the wintry theme is continued with Creator of the Month, cold water swim coach Vicki McCreadie. Jim Perrin's Mountain Portrait of The Twmpa in the Black Mountains is illustrated with a great photo of this hill under snow too. The opinion piece is by Amy-Jane Beer who looks at the fallout from the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree and the need to repair our broken relationship with nature. As she nears the end of her walk round Britain's coast Emma Schroeder detours to walk round her birthplace, the Isle of Wight, and ponders what her journey means and why there are so many skeletons in shop windows.

My only contribution to this issue is a sponsored piece on Rab's Vapour-Rise garments, which I was happy to write as I'd liked the first ones some 20 years ago and was impressed with the new Alpine Light Jacket. Since submitting the piece I've worn this jacket on two backpacking trips in the Cairngorms and days out in the snow and I'm even more impressed now. I'll be wearing it much more. 

The winter theme is continued in the snowy Wild Walks section. In Scotland Alex Roddie traverses Bidean nam Bian in Glen Coe and Stefan Durkacz tramps the Cleish Hills on the border between West Fife and Perth & Kinross. In the Lake Distirct James Forrest tackles the Coledale Round, Vivienne Crow goes up Skiddaw Little Man and Ian Battersby picks a safe route up Blencathra in ice and spindrift and also traverses Great Dodd and Clough Head. Down in Eryri/Snowdonia Andrew Galloway finds standing stones and ancient cairns on Drum and Carnedd y Ddelw while in the Peak District Francesca Donovan climbs Shutlingsloe and Tegg's Nose in the snow. Much further south Fiona Barltrop finds snow in the South Downs on a coastal walk from Beachy Head to Seaford Head.

November Mist

 

November always seems to be a foggy month. My childhood memories are of swirling mists, sodden leaves, the smell of wet vegetation, a sense of encroaching darkness, the colour leaching out of nature. 

This November has begun like that. Leaves litter the ground, bright and colourful in places but already a dark slippery, slimy mush in others. Many trees are bare. The remaining leaves on others turning brown and listless. The beeches are hanging on to colour longest, along with a few others.

Woodland paths felt mysterious in the mist, twisting amongst the dark trees to fade away into greyness. The flashes of bright yellow and gold of beeches and birches quite startling amongst the sombre pines. 

Bracken too has mostly turned to faded brown as it starts to collapse into nothingness. Its profligacy always amazes me. Tiny green curls burgeoning in just a few weeks into dense foliage and then returning to a few brown stalks and decaying fronds not long afterwards. An incredible surge of life and growth for such a short time.

As I approached the Old Spey Bridge the mist thickened. Even the still colourful leaves of the beeches hanging over the water were hazy. The bridge itself faded into the woods, the houses and cars usually visible gone in the mist. Like the woods the bridge suddenly felt mysterious, leading to who knows where but surely somewhere magical. 

Back along the river the new bridge was also in the mist, with the sounds of the traffic muted. Its concrete curve felt less strange but I still wasn't certain it was part of the real world. Mist does that, creating a secretive, insubstantial landscape. In the mountains it can confuse perception. Huge cliffs and giant hills rear up in front of you only to dwindle to small rocks and gentle bumps as you approach. Down here it created a sense of secrecy and unreality.

The river Spey itself was full and racing along, the riverside path only just passable in places, with care needed not to slip into the dark water. 

I love this river and these woods. No walk here is ever disappointing.