When It Rains

Despite the predicted wind and heavy rain, I decided to retrace my steps from last weekend. There were several places I wasn't able to shoot because of fading light or falling snow, and I didn't think I'd get too many more weekends this year to attempt them.

The drive along the Index-Galena Road was a precursor of what was in store for the day. The prevalent maple leaves scattered on the ground that were so beautiful and yellow last weekend were now dingy brown and soaking wet, and the rivers and creeks were running much higher thanks to the rain we've had this week.

I made it to the Quartz Creek trailhead despite the quarter inch of snow on the road and quickly saw that the primary photos I was after for the day were impossible. What had been a majestic and graceful cascade on the North Fork Skykomish River was now a raging torrent.

I again drove up and over Jack Pass down into the Beckler River valley, the frozen rain replaced this time with a driving downpour. All the tiny runoff streams were full and even the normally dry creek beds were running. Places like Fourth of July Creek had filled or were overflowing their banks and looked nothing like they had the previous weeks.

The small stream covered with maple leaves that I'd photographed last week was much less photogenic this time, so I drove back up Rapid River Road to see how the cascade at the end looked in this weather. I certainly didn't expect it to look anything like last time. The fresh and falling snow on such a majestic waterfall was certainly not to be repeated this time, and I was right. I tromped around in the forest, looking for the canyon I'd heard about, until I was too wet and cold and had to turn back.

That was it for the day, there was nothing left to see. The weather was too ugly and the water too high for me to get the camera out even once.incredible.