Day 11: From the Redwood Forests to the…Silver Creek Waterfalls?

Day 11 dawned much as the previous few had–with no signs of fog.  With unfinished business to complete in the redwoods and only a few hours left in which to do it–I had a long (approximately 300-mile) drive to make, all the way from Crescent City California to Silverton, Oregon–I headed straight to the Damnation Creek trailhead (again).

Redwoods, Coastal Trail, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, California

My plan was to shoot along the first segment of the Damnation Creek Trail and then head north on the Coastal Trail.  I would shoot until hot spots started to appear in the forest, then hike out and begin the 5-6 hour drive to Silverton.  I hoped that I would arrive at the jumping off point for Silver Falls State Park by 4 PM or thereabouts.

There was no one in the Damnation Creek parking area when I arrived at the trailhead, just about at first light.  There was virtually no wind and it was very quiet in the forest, other than the occasional audible traffic noise from a passing vehicle on the coast highway.

Redwoods, Damnation Creek Trail, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, California

I really felt as though I was reaping the benefits of spending so much time over the past few days in the forest, with a particular emphasis on the several miles of trails–beginning on the Damnation Creek Trail and then heading both north and south from the junction with the Coastal Trail–as I was having an increasingly easier time sorting out visual order in the chaotic woods.

Redwoods, Damnation Creek Trail, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, California

I’ve said before, on a number of occasions on this blog, that–in my opinion–forest photography can be among the most aesthetically challenging sub-genres of landscape photography, principally because of the difficulty of identifying and representing a center of interest that encapsulates an overarching “feeling” of the place.

Redwoods, Coastal Trail, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, California

Over the years I’ve spent a great deal of time photographing in forested settings and there really is no substitute for experience in a specific environment.  The wooded areas that I’ve spent so much time wandering in the Midwest of North America are quite different from the redwoods area of northern California, so my previous experience–though not entirely irrelevant–was of limited use.  I needed to become more familiar with the specifics of this wooded environment and copious time doing so over several days certainly helped.

As always, I did not eschew opportunities to focus on intimate landscapes.

Forest Floor Intimate, Coastal Trail, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, California

Another advantage to spending a lot of time, day after day in the forest (this was my fifth consecutive day in the redwoods region, with parts of four of them on the trails in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park) was that I was familiar enough with the majesty of the place not to be completely awed.  Thus, I was able to turn my attention downward on occasion, and take note of the details at my feet.

Forest Floor Intimate, Coastal Trail, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, California

When I lost the light in the forest, I put the additional elements of my plan into effect.  Before 10 AM, I was on the road, headed northeast toward Silverton…

I won’t bore you with the details of the drive.  Suffice to say that I arrived in Silverton at around 3:30 PM, whereupon I checked into the inn where I had reserved a room.  By 4:30 or so I was making my way in the direction of Silver Falls State Park, roughly a 20-minute drive to the east.  After arriving, I drove around a bit and surveyed the area, orienting myself in the process.  I found a park map and, coupled with research I’d done before the trip, made my way to the South Falls parking area.

Silver Falls State Park is dominated by what is known as “The Trail of Ten Falls,” which effectively circumnavigates the main points of interest in the park–ten waterfalls that lie on two branches of Silver Creek.  The two largest and most popular are South Falls and North Falls which lie, appropriately enough, on opposite ends of the park.  It’s possible to visit all the waterfalls on a single hike; the Trail of Ten Falls is a nearly 10-mile loop, with lots and lots of up and down.  I wouldn’t have nearly enough time to do that on this evening.  It was mostly cloudy when I arrived at the park, with no rain in the forecast.  The forecast for the next day was cloudy, with a small chance of rain.  This was just about perfect, given the subject matter.  I had 2-3 hours on this evening, all day the next day and, if needed, part of the following day’s morning for photography.  On that third day, I’d have to hustle because I had an early afternoon flight from Portland–a bit more than an hour away–to catch.

It was closing in on 6 PM before I finally made my way down the trail to reach the South Falls area.  It came into view from my perch, high up on the bluff, pretty quickly and I was suitably impressed.

South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

The trail loops all the way around South Falls, as you can see in the above photograph.  I figured that I had the time that evening to shoot at both South Falls, and Lower South Falls, which was about 1.5 miles on the trail downstream.  Then, beginning first thing in the morning the next day, I’d start the process of visiting the other waterfalls, beginning with the trailhead near North Falls.

In the meantime, I prepared to photograph South Falls as if I wouldn’t get another chance.

South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

I descended from the canyon rim and engaged the trail that circles South Falls at something approaching mid-falls level, then descends near creek level, well below the falls.

South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

It’s possible to stay dry behind South Falls but, given the amount of spray, you have to pick your spots.

South Falls Black & White, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

One interesting perspective allows you to look downstream, through a veritable curtain of water.

Behind South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

I spent my time circling South Falls carefully, checking numerous vantage points.  I found the perspectives from the left side (as you face the falls) generally more photogenic than the right side, at least partly as a function of the number of trees on the canyon rim; they were more plentiful to the right-hand side, which made for less sky peeking through when photographed from the left.

South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

I also switched back and forth, with some regularity, between wide and telephoto lenses, to capture different aspects of the overall scene.

South Falls Black & White, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

South Falls Black & White, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Eventually, as I descended to creek level, I found where the right-hand perspective shines.

South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

I saw that there were still a couple of interesting perspectives, but I decided to defer those until after I’d had a go at Lower South Falls.  It was getting late.  I figured I’d snap up the final few shots I wanted to obtain of South Falls after finishing with Lower South, or–if I ran out of light completely–some time the following day.  I hurried down the trail, which was relatively flat most of the way, and within 10 minutes or so I could hear the telltale waterfall noises that I presumed must be Lower South Falls.  I was correct.  The trail, following a series of long staircases, descended dramatically into the gorge and I soon found myself more or less face-to-face with Lower South Falls.

Lower South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Again, the trail circled behind the waterfall and I felt compelled to examine all of the possible perspectives.

Lower South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

The experience was much like that of photographing South Falls, though this waterfall was smaller and the canyon surrounding it was naturally more narrow.

Lower South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

In making a few images, I decided to incorporate elements of the trail in my composition, to produce an added sense of perspective.

Lower South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

I circled around to the far side of the waterfall and walked a ways up the trail, but it rounded a bend in the canyon in short order and the view of the waterfall was entirely lost.  I headed back in the direction I came, but before leaving the immediate area I pulled out the telephoto lens one last time.

Lower South Falls Black & White, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

I hadn’t completely lost the light so I double-timed it back to South Falls to see if I could obtain the few shots that I’d postponed earlier.  There was just enough time to do so.

South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

South Falls & Trail Bridge, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

As I climbed out of the canyon and returned to the now deserted parking area, an end came to another very long day of photography.  Almost.

On the drive back to Silverton, over an area of empty pasture, I saw a sliver of sunset, as enough clouds had parted to produce a noteworthy scene.  I pulled over to the side of the road and produced one last image, albeit a grab.

Sunset, Marion County, Oregon

And that was that.  I knew I had a full day ahead of me tomorrow, given my intent on covering the rest of the Silver Creek waterfalls.