[Obi Tony Kenobi]

My last backpack was Labor Day weekend, little that I know that it was going to be last hike till next year all because of stupid knees. All I have been doing is laying on the sofa with my right leg elevated to lower the swelling down (if you desire a luxury waterbed for your cat, send it my way and your kitty will be guaranteed a peaceful resort cat nap). I just couldn't take it anymore and I decided to go to the outdoors to take some waterfall picture with easy access and no hiking. So I set off to Stevens Pass Highway this last weekend. My first stop was Sunset Falls. For being so late in the season, it had a nice amount of water going over it and it was pretty noisy.

Skykomish River, Index Area

Skykomish River, Index Area

After that I headed off to find Eagle Falls. Well I couldn't find the pullout on the side of the road because of the construction and I continued on to Deception Falls. I parked up the forest road parallel to Deception Creek and hopped my way down to the creek. The water level was low, but the fall colors were just starting to show up. I then made it to the upper base of the upper falls by following a very wide bootpath and my knee started telling me it wasn't happy.

Deception Creek, Scenic Area

Deception Creek, Scenic Area

Then I got into an argument with a non-hiking friend who decided to tag along telling me we shouldn't be on that road and didn't believe me till I showed him the sign for the Deception Lakes Trailhead. Arguing with a friend and telling my knee to shove it with the pain it was inducing on me I finally had enough and decided it was time to go home. My goal was to see Monkey Cage Falls, Crack in the Earth Falls, Scenic Falls, Log Jam Falls, and Alpine Falls, but everything seemed to be working against me. As I drove back home I told myself screw this knee and I made a quick stop at Alpine Falls. The lighting in Alpine Falls was perfect and I have seen the Tye River with a lot more water going over Alpine Falls, but the water flowing over the falls was just perfect.

Tye River, Scenic Area

Tye River, Scenic Area

On the way back home I could see the water flowing out of Lake Serene turning into Bridal Veil Falls and I told myself to just wait till next year like the doctor ordered (and now the physical therapist). When I got home, I could barely make it up the stairs and my knee had swollen into a luxury California King size waterbed from just walking barely 300 feet total. This is surely going to be one depressing winter.

[EastKing]

Pretty shots! I hope to see you back in action next year. Take care, rest up and prepare for some big mountains.

[Go Jo]

Listen to your doc!!! Better to give up one season than to suffer repeat injuries for years to come, believe me. That being said, go ahead and keep taking waterfall pics for me to enjoy

[gone]

Sorry to hear about your knees, Tony. Hopefully you'll be back on the trail soon! In the meantime, those are some nice shots! Btw, do you know why they closed off the Deception Falls rest-stop area on the north side of Hwy 2? I recall that being a beautiful little trail, plus it's got the great bridge right over the big falls.

[Hiker Mama]

So sorry about your knees. If it makes you feel any better, I am gimping around, too - still can't put much weight on my foot 3 weeks after surgery. It's going to be a long winter. You take beautiful pics, though; perhaps you'll find alternative subjects to hone your skills, or find another project to invest your time into. I'm trying to view my forced hiatus as an opportunity to do some writing and get my website up. It's still hard, but it helps take some of the grief away. Hang in there!!

[Obi Tony Kenobi]

Here are a few more pictures: Deception Creek

Deception Creek looking upstream

Deception Creek going under the railroad trestle

Puppy Falls (the rock looks like a resting puppy's head)

Deception Creek, Scenic WA

Deception Creek

Thanks Linkkens, Hiker Mama, EastKing, and EWB... my knee problem is basically my patella wore down the cartilage till it reached the knee joint and it started rubbing bone against bone. It sucks and my left knee is not quite there yet, but it is all from surgery when I a teen that was supposed to prevent this thanks to a bike/hockey accident/incident. The Physical therapy is to pull my patella back to the center so it stops rubbing off bone. The good thing is the doc said I should be able to snowboard by Dec/Jan. Hiker Mama, hope you feel better and have a quick recovery! Here is a cold one for us gimps Hopefully next year we come back stronger on the trails! EWB, the 2006 November storms basicall destroyed parts of the trails because of the brutal force from Deception Creek (take a peek from this picture, I have no idea how the bridge survived over the creek) Powerful Deception Creek

[EastKing]

New shots look great. Hope to see you on some peaks next year!

[peltoms]

Best shots I have ever seen of sunset falls. You just need to move the couch up there occassionally.

[Scrooge]

Tony, I was gonna fuss you for all the time exposures, great pictures of rocks inexplicably draped in cotton fuzz .......

........ but for the sake of this incredible pic of Deception Falls (even if it's not yours), I forgive you.

Wow!

[gone]