A close encounter with infinity at Takhlakh Lake

There is an illusive experience that may be found only in the depths of space, or in the wildest corners of our public. The realization of our utter insignificance in comparison with the unimaginable vastness of the cosmos is a revelation that most of the human race never experiences. People tend to bury themselves in the safe, comforting bubbles we all create for ourselves, tucked away inside a house or high in an apartment building within the concealing haze of our atmosphere. It is easy, in such a life, to believe that there is nothing more; that we are an unstoppable force in a tiny, helpless world. It takes a special sort of experience to shatter such delusions.

Those who chose to explore our public lands will find wonders that make them feel small indeed. Small adventures give you a taste of the grander scheme, but seldom do they cross the line into illusion shattering territory. Still, growing up with the small adventures, one tends not to build up the really strong homo-aggrandizement. Yet, even for me, with all I have seen, it was not until last summer that I got a real look at the true scale of the universe.

Winter Camping on the Wild Olympic Coast

There are few places more primal and untamed than the wild coast of Olympic National Park. Its rugged cliffs and rock strewn beaches are lashed by the fury of the Pacific Ocean, and that fury builds to a crescendo in the midst of the Pacific Northwest Winter when great typhoons bring pounding surf, torrents of rain, and howling winds to the twisted forests and the snow capped mountains that rise over the lowland rainforest. Exploring the Olympic Wilderness coast in winter is not for the faint of heart.



There is some insane part of my soul that drives me out there into the maelstrom, despite the repeated misery of past experiences. The raw power of nature on display is intoxicating, and to spend days at this point where the forces of land and water clash is an experience like no other.

Surprising Solitude in Arches National Park

In my experience, most surprises that occur on trips are thoroughly unwelcome. When you’ve allotted so much in the way of time and resources to an expedition, the best surprise tends to be a total lack of surprises. However, there is one surprise I always hope for, but rarely experience: solitude. This is nowhere more rare and precious than in a National Park. In Arches National Park it seemed a fool's dream indeed as we embarked upon our canyon lands adventure.

Silver Rivers and Sleeping Farms - Aerial images of winter in Washington

Winter is a difficult season for photography in the lowlands of Western Washington. All the leaves
have gone, and the landscape is turned a sullen quilt of sepia and monochrome. I've done my best this past week, between boughts of torrential freezing rain and howling wind, to capture the gloomy atmosphere of the season from the air.

Nature's Wrath in the North Cascades

It was the tail end of a 10 day long backpacking adventure - the previous day being a grueling traversal of the rugged rollercoaster of Jackita Ridge. We could have cut things a day short - dropping down the switchbacks to Ruby Creek and the North Cascades Highway, but the bright alpine sky and the towering peaks of Crater Mountain beckoned, and it was quickly decided that a few extra nights were needed to do this alpine wonderland justice.

Forest Flight

Forests are complex webs of life - and most of the layers of those webs remain far beyond the reach of prying human eyes, bound so firmly as they are to the mundane floor of woodland realms. Perhaps the most rewarding experience I've had since I've started flying the DJI Spark is to venture into these vibrant no-mans-lands and traverse the secret tunnels in the reaching arms of the high tree limbs. The diminutive size of this drone makes it ideal for this purpose, and I look forward to further expeditions in the canopy of the temperate rain forests of the Pacific Northwest.

DJI Spark low light test.

I decided to test out the DJI Spark's camera in dim conditions while we still had the outdoor lights up. I was happily surprised how well it did, even at high ISO's! However, while the images look great, they were not easy to capture. The various collision detection and vertical positioning systems were highly unreliable in the darkness, and the drone wouldn't stay stable and still in the air. I had to keep constantly fiddling with the controls to keep it from drifting.