Growing up in Seattle, I never experienced smoke like we had recently. In fact, I don’t remember ever having significant smoke in the air at any time of the year, up until the past few. It was a very rare and strange thing if smoke got thick. Unfortunately, it appears that we’re in a new normal.
Here are a few of my impressions of the week-long smoke that covered the PNW in September of 2020.
As I write this we are a little less than a month away from the start of the Seattle viaduct’s removal. Here in December I’ve been shooting photos of the concrete landmark because I think when it’s gone the waterfront will be very different in many ways. One thing that will be significant is the elimination of the ever-present vehicle noise, which had my ears ringing after my recent photo outings. It really is loud down there! Also, on a cloudy day (pretty rare in Seattle) it can be dark in the viaduct’s shadow.
I’ll keep shooting and post again soon.
For about 10 years now, much of my published photography has been for the outdoor brand EXPED. I work at EXPED USA as the content and PR manager and I’m very fortunate to have been able to use my photographic skills every single day to help the brand be true to the outdoor activities our customers pursue. It’s been a career-long thing for me. Previously I’ve worked for Outdoor Research, Helly Hansen and a couple others in pretty much the same capacity - marketing, PR and photography. It’s been a fun ride!
But for a decade I’ve also been in front of the camera once in a while, for better or worse, talking about EXPED products. Here’s a little example:
In February of 2017 I traveled with two friends to Baja. We paddled for four days and then drove across the peninsula for a little whale watching along the coast. In the first half hour I was hooked and knew I wanted to return for more paddling. That, amazingly enough, was my first trip to Mexico! Silly, I know.
This year, my up-for-anything adventure buddy Kate and I, along with her sister Marta, who we traveled with last year, returned to the town of Loreto and we brought friends - Lisa and Ted from Edgewood, Washington, Gina and Warren from Vancouver, BC and Andy from England. Marta (from northern California), was a guide for Sea Kayak Baja Mexico years ago and has been our expert connection to these warm-water outings. This group is a very seasoned collection of paddlers and adventurers, so we did this as a self-guided journey. This year we decided to do a circumnavigation of Isla Del Carmen. Whereas last year, in February, we had some strong winds, this year’s April trip was almost entirely calm. Amazing water, campsites, wildlife and alone time! This was a trip that will not soon be forgotten and may very well become an annual event.
We did a quick overnighter to a little peak my friend Dave calls Ladybug. There really were ladybugs at the summit. Being an October outing, the night was a brisk one and when the sun crested the trees we were happy for it. As always, good friends make the trip!
