Recently I made a five-day backpacking trip to one of my all-time favorite areas in the North Cascades—Image Lake, located high on Miner’s Ridge in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. For me, this is one of the classic views of mountains and lakes in the Northwest, rivaled only by a few other spots such as Picture Lake/Mount Shuksan and Tipso Lake/Mount Rainier. After a long hike in I was thrilled to have the entire area to myself, and spent the next few days exploring the ridge and photographing the magical scene and just sitting, taking it all in. Over the years, I have been fortunate to enjoy many memorable days in these beautiful places that are my home, alone with the mountains, glaciers and wildflowers.
Image Lake and Glacier Peak seen from Miner’s Ridge, Glacier Peak Wilderness.
Glacier Peak (10,541′) or Dakobed is the most isolated of the five major stratovolcanoes of the Cascade Volcanic Arc.
Mount Rainier 14,411 ft (4,392 m) from wildflower meadows of Yakima Park, Mount Rainier National Park.
False helebore/ Corn Lily (Veratrum viride)
Mount Shuksan viewed from wildflower meadows of Hannegan Peak, Mount Baker Wilderness
Methow Valley wildflowers, Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza deltoidea), North Cascades.
Backcountry camp high on Miner’s Ridge, Glacier Peak in the Distance, Glacier Peak Wilderness.
Glacier Peak (10,541′) or Dakobed is the most isolated of the five major stratovolcanoes of the Cascade Volcanic Arc.
Mount Baker seen from meadow slopes of Church Mountain, Mount Baker Wilderness.
Mount Baker seen from wildflower meadows on Skyline Divide, Mount Baker Wilderness.
Foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum L.)
Mount Rainier 14,411 ft (4,392 m) from Edith Creek, Mount Rainier National Park.
Sunrise over Mount Baker (elevation 10,778 feet (3,285 m) and Baker Lake, North Cascades.
Sunset over Mount Baker, Mount Baker Wilderness. Washington
Summer thunderstorm over Mount Shuksan at sunset, seen from wildflower meadows on Skyline Divide, Mount Baker Wilderness.
Mount Shuksan seen from wildflower meadows on Skyline Divide, Mount Baker Wilderness.
Fog rolling over summits of the North Cascades at sunset.
Eldorado Peak and meadows of pink mountain heather, North Cascades National Park.
Mount Rainier 14,411 ft (4,392 m) from wildflower meadows of Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park.
Ruth Mountain seen from wildflower meadows of Hannegan Peak, Mount Baker Wilderness.
Ruth Mountain and Mount Shuksan viewed from wildflower meadows of Hannegan Peak, Mount Baker Wilderness.
Alan Majchrowicz is a mountain wilderness fanatic who has been hiking and photographing in the Pacific Northwest and beyond for over 35 years. His landscape and nature images have been used by The Sierra Club, Apple Computer, National Geographic, Alaska Airlines and many more. He resides with his family in Bellingham. Learn more at alanmajchrowicz.com.
AdventuresNW
Alan Majchrowicz is a mountain wilderness fanatic who has been hiking and photographing in the Pacific Northwest and beyond for over 35 years. His landscape and nature images have been used by The Sierra Club, Apple Computer, National Geographic, Alaska Airlines and many more. He resides with his family in Bellingham. Learn more at alanmajchrowicz.com.
