Cascadian Sunset

Mt Hood Wilderness Area, Northern Oregon

Having grown up as a lover of the outdoors in Kentucky, I was always drawn to the Appalachian Mountains for their proximity and their rugged beauty. They include the tallest mountains east of the Mississippi River and offered me grand adventures at an early age. One of my favorite types of landscape photographs of the Appalachian mountains  is one of endless layers of ridges extending to the horizon. I’ve always found those gentle yet textured layers to be peaceful and uplifting.  As I moved to Oregon nearly 30 years ago now, I can safely call Cascadia my home region. I adore the culture and natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and don’t want to live anywhere else.

During a recent backpacking trip, high on the shoulders of Oregon’s Mt Hood with my wife Debbie I was was shooting sunset images of Mt Hood with extravagant foregrounds of wildflowers as warm golden light bathed the alpine background. It was a stunning scene but the best sunset light was not on Mt Hood, it was in the opposite direction. I quickly adjusted my location, saw gorgeous sunset light  and layers of mountains reminiscent of the Appalachian mountains of my youth. I smiled, quickly composed a few images and then returned my focus to the alpine majesty of Mt Hood.

Having pondered my captures from that trip, I decided this image, Cascadian Sunset, was worthy of  sharing on my website as a tribute to the mountains that fostered my love of the outdoors.

While this new image has hints of Appalachia, is definitely has a Cascadian twist….During my youthful explorations of the Appalachian Mountains I never found a wildflower foreground like the one seen in thin image. Yes, you can find attractive Rhododendrons in spring in both the Cascades and the Appalachian Mountains but the variety of dense wildflowers with mountain views eluded me in my youth.  Also, the Cascadia bioregion has BIG Mountains, including what I believe is 12,000 foot tall Mt Adams on the right side of this new Oregon landscape photograph. For the sake of comparison, North Carolina’s Mt Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River at 6,784 feet of elevation, which would classify it as a foothill in the land of Cascadia.

Regardless of scale, I owe a debt of gratitude to the Appalachian Region as it developed in me a love of the outdoors that has grown with me throughout my life!