Swinging my feet over the edge of the bed to a 1:15 am alarm had me cursing at myself for even considering getting up that early. With all of my gear packed and breakfast in the belly, I made my way to a rendezvous point to pick up my brother. At the trail head at 3:30 am and starting up, the wind was howling and so were we as we began our ascent to Chasm Lake.
2,500 vertical feet up from the trail head and located just underneath Longs Peak (14,259 ft), this wasn't going to be like walking to the neighbor's house. As we made our way past treeline, the wind really hit. In excess of 50 mph, it felt like someone was pushing you down at the shoulders the entire hike. Not only was the wind extreme, but a base temperature of 5 degrees Fahrenheit was just a little chilly. Add in the wind and temps were suppose to be around -31 degrees Fahrenheit. Exhausted, and just as the first rays of sun began to hit the peak, we arrived.
The view was nothing short of spectacular and the company was great. We had a fantastic time on our way up and despite the difficulty, laughed damn near all the way up and back to the car. The only pause in conversation was when we decided to take a little nap in the middle of the trial.
Overall, it was a great hike I don't want to do again for a minute.
Many of us remember when Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980, today the crater is a site to see, new growth is everywhere but to see the valley and the changes in the landscape it created is humbling. More info here [link]
Waited for first light to shoot this, had to be a bit sneaky since its within the airport area and you are not allowed to go there. And the ocean breeze was killer cold.
Shot with Nikon D800, 14-24 F2.8 @ 16 mm, F 5.6 , Iso 100, 25 seconds. Skylight to enhance the clouds which btw was spectacular as they where, but a bit dark.
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Sta.sh
