[Kenji]

The forecast was for a clear night without the Moon, it was time to spend a night on the ridge for Milky Way over the summit.  Two weeks ago, we were to ski the north facing slopes on the ridge, but never made it up.  There were about 20 cars when I left the TH 5pm on Sunday!  I saw only two tents on the divide southward, didn't see that many people coming out...  I was up on the ridge top 30min before the sunset, glad to be done with the scramble path with the day light.  The sky was a bit unsettling from the late afternoon thunder clouds though stayed mostly dry.  It'd been unpleasant to stay in my bivy in pouring rain...

Sunset from the ridge:

my camp

Clearing slowly:

The sky finally cleared after 11pm.  A nice thing about bivying was I could check the sky anytime and do photography all without getting out my sleeping bag.

Light pollution from nearby cities are hard to avoid, but it did illuminate the snowy slopes.  Didn't see noctilucent clouds this time, though I might have slept through...

Morning views around:

Cougar Divide

Wondered along the ridge further up, but turned around before the traverse on steep loose path toward Hadley Pk.  That's mostly for goats, once was enough for me.  Also stiffer boots would be better too.

Alpine bonsai

The north facing slopes would be great for skiing, I'll definitely try someday.

me

Along the trail:

Last shot:

Very productive photo trip, more pics here.

[joker]

Wow 😲

Way to stick the weather out. I love the sunset and milky way shots. Productive indeed!

[Sculpin]

[nordique]

Great photos, Kenji!

[TellimaChris]

Your photos are fantastic!  Particularly the Milky Way over Mt Baker.. wow.

How challenging is the scramble up to Chowder Ridge from Skyline Divide?  Is the route readily apparent?

[Nancyann]

Exquisite pictures, Kenji, thanks for sharing!

[BarbE]

Kenji, you can fill next year's calendar with those!

[uww]

[Kenji]

Yes, the path up to the ridge is straight-forward, though not very solid.  Stiffer shoes are better especially on the way down, also the day light is helpful.  There are many sidetracks, stay on the main one.

[D. Inscho]

Thanks Kenji, a favorite, though from a more challenging distance.   Fine camera slinging and night-shift activity.

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http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/

The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours.       --  John Muir

[backpacker92out]

Those are crazy good pictures. Bravo! bravo!

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[RynoA]

Stunning pictures, both at night and during the day!
Thank you for sharing