TDH Mountain........

Many of you have been up this mountain before. Just to the South of Hood, Tom Dick and Harry mountain offers undoubtably the best scenic views of Hood that can be found anywhere, from high on its flanks. I have had one very special Winter shot from this place in mind for almost five years now. The dedication I have given to the project of capturing this shot is second to nothing I have ever done in photography, and that's really saying something. The amount of time and energy I have put into it is absolutely astounding. I truly believe, that if it ever happens, the very specific shot that I have in mind will be far better than anything I've seen of Hood. But time and time again, I fail to capture it. I find myself writing this mostly out of my own frustration, and to point out just how rare winter landscapes like these really are.

A combination of factors must coinside perfectly to capture the image I have dreamed of for so long. First, there must be great light and atmosphere to compliment the mountain. This, alone, is pretty rare in our Oregon winters, but still achievable.
Second, and every bit as important, there must be lots of fresh snow on the trees. There are plenty of trees on the mountain and they are essential to the shot that I have in mind. Snow on the trees, or fresh snow in general is extremely important to winter photography. I can say for absolute certainty, that there has not been one single day this entire year when both snow on the trees and great light have occured here simutaneously. Sounds strange, given that amount of time, but either wind or sun has always knocked the snow off before any great light could occur. Last, the light must be present in the foreground and on the mountain at the same time for this shot. Not too much to ask, but it limits the time of the Winter when this specific shot is attainable.

I have driven up to Hood approximately fifty times trying to get this shot. I have climbed TDH mountain about fourty more over the years and I have camped on the mountain at least twenty five days dating back to 2004. About ten this year. I have the ability to check the weather daily and leave on a moments notice if I ever think this shot could happen, every day of the year. Some of the local backcountry skiers know me as the crazy snowshoeing photographer who has taken up semi-permanent residence on the side of this mountain, and yet the shot still eludes me. I can't give up though. I just won't give it up. Stop in and say hi sometime if you stumble across my camp on the mountain.

it probably will happen when you're out with some buddies having a beer and shooting pool...
georg

Oh that was mean georg!

Well Marc, if anyone can capture the shot, it'll be you... not just any Tom Dick or Harry could get it... (dodging the flying debris)

Georg, fortunately I can have beer and pool at the Ratskeller pub just a half mile from the trailhead to the mountain, so it's unlikely that would stop me if I suspected good conditions would be developing.

Good luck with your quest. I saw something like you describe a few years ago in the summer. I was camped with some other folks up on the ridge above Robinhood and Sherwood. I awakened early one morning with ice all over my tent. The trees were dusted with snow. Fresh snow on the mountain looked like winter. It was lit up brilliantly. It was also very early and the light didn't last long. I guess you know what you are doing that far south. Especially around the solstice. You might consider moving northeast with the light.

Marc, may you find your dream conditions.....and enjoy the time spent out there....as a bad day out shooting is ALWAYS better than a good day at some other job.

If you have the vision....the universe will move in and provide you with what is nessassary to get this.

Thanks also for turning me on to this place....I will have to hike it myself to get a feel for this place....it sounds AWESOME.

Roman

Marc, over the years I've seen a few shots from atop TD&H mountain. So far, I think Zack's "Mt. Hood Majesty" is perhaps the best I've seen. It's had me dreaming of a similar shot. However, with my limited time it will be pure luck if I ever get the chance at that photo. I feel your agony and wish you the best of luck. I've been watching the weather and there may be a chance on Sunday, but I'm sure you are probably already planning for it.

Marc, I know all too well how hard it is to get all the elements to coincide, it took me 5 winter trips to get anything remotely decent, the one good day just happened to be amazing. I too have a shot in mind from up there that I failed to get last time, I've been up once this year with no success, I've been watching the weather and haven't seen the kind of weather window I need yet this year. This weekend I may attempt it once again, but I doubt the conditions will be quite right.

With your determination I know you'll bag this shot eventually.

If it makes you feel any better, I've climbed Tumalo Mountain 6 times in the past 2 winters looking for a particular shot to no avail.

Good luck to you guys. I agree that Zack's shot from TDH is one of the best winter images that I have seen. I have learned alot about winter photography from looking at that shot. I have some shots in mind as well but with work and family responsibilities, I would have to be pretty fortunate to be able to be in the right place at the right time. I'll be eagerly watching for you to bag it.

How about focusing more on the spring? April seems to have the snow that really glops onto the trees, plus your odds of getting a break in the PNW storm conveyor belt may be better.

Marc,

I like the way your posts include us with your intent and planning for a particular shot. It's very informative, even for those of us who wish we had more time to spend in the field (kids, job, managing job, etc always taking away the time).

Good luck, your perserverence will pay off eventually.

Kevin

Zack, you know I was up there the same day as your TDH shots - December 2, 2006 if I recall correctly. I slept in and didn't get up the mountain in time for the clouds (alarm clock failure), but did succeed in rendering my best Hood shot from the meadows below, so it wasn't too bad. The light that morning wouldn't have worked for this shot I've been planning anyway, and it went away in just seconds. I think your shots from up there turned out nicely. That was the last day, over 15 months ago, that the conditions were almost good enough.

I've never been to TDH (only as far as Mirror Lake one afternoon with family and friends), but I really enjoy the shots I've seen from there. Good luck in you quest Marc. As noted above, if anyone is going to bag that shot my money is on you.

Have you (or any others here) ever tried for a similar shot from Lookout Mountain? I've often thought that, with a winter sun angle and the snow conditions you describe, an amazing sunrise shot might be possible from there.

Yes, I've been up Lookout Mountain on snowshoes in Winter about five times before. You're pretty far away from the mountain so it's not as good for landscapes. Also, the trees and other foreground interest is not great. I've searched around a lot, even under perfect conditions, and found very little compositional opportunities for a shot with the mountain. It's also a much longer and more strenuous a hike than TDH.

Marc, I remember you telling me that story, part of me was really bummed for you, and the other part was really happy I was the only one up there that morning, it was such a special moment for me. I can relate though, I've had my alarm not wake me on several occasions when the light was fantastic. At least you got that stunning shot from the snowy meadow.

Marc, there is a spot on the north side that I've been exploring lately that, IMHO, provides the finest opposing-peak view of Hood. I'll certainly never get there in winter, but if you're willing to ski/snowshoe a fair distance, a winter scene from there would be one-of-a-kind. The evening light is unmatched on the mountain, though it would be a tougher subject in winter, with low sun angles. Until I shot summer photographs there two years ago, I had never seen an image from that perspective. There are also little-known Indian pits in this area that can be shot in in conjunction with Hood. Send me an e-mail if you'd like details!

Tom

I can't offer any suggestions on dealing with the image that you've previsualized that just won't seem to present itself...after all, I'm still just learning to previsualize...but, I will offer something else though, perhaps already considered, from an outside perspective...

Once upon a time, I read a very invigorating (and maturing) quote from a great fella, whom I've never met, but have endless respect for,, you might know him...it went something like this:

"Nature photography is much more about reaction to, and interaction with all nature than it is a carefully scripted and executed plan."

"At times, I would become so focused on making a specific type of image at a specific place that I forgot to look around along the way, try new things and let the landscape come to me. I've come to realize that to become too focused on a particular image, technique or location is to deny much of the Art in photography."

That was the first thing I thought of when I read your post. Has the balance been lost? You know that balance...folks like myself are still trying to figure out what gives and what takes. I may already know it, but I may be overanalyzing more than listening. You know it.

If I were in your situation, the toughest part for me would be the day that I finally captured the image after all of that struggle. I would be overjoyed for awhile...but then I'd be asking myself in juvenile fashion, "I really wonder what I could have been doing in all of those nights that I spent waiting on that to come into being...I wonder if it was worth it...I guess I'll never know".

Maybe you should take the photographer that you despise the most up there...I'm sure the scene would gladly present itself if he/she were there to capture it too... joking of course...best of luck with the image

Marc,
Good luck with your shot. I wonder if the chair lift at Ski Bowl(upper bowl) would let you traverse the ridge and get to your spot? I don't know, just a wild thought. it would save you alot of time and you could ride it up at night and down the next morning.

Josh, I definitely stand by everything I've said to that point. I'm surprised no one mentioned it sooner. You ask, has the balance been lost? In the case of this shot, it definitely has. It was lost a long time ago. Sometimes, that is just the case. That's just the way it has to be. I'm a professional and that shot would mean a lot to me. The process of trying to get it has strayed from the contemplative approach to nature that most inspires me. I has become more of a chore on the to-do list. But it's just one shot.

I'm as involved with nature as I ever have been. I'm doing a week-long traverse of the entire Steens mountain ridge next week with no specific pictures in mind. That's how I prefer to operate. Long treks, remote places, just observing everything and letting it come to me. I usually go into treks like that with ideas, or concepts for making images, but no specific plan. The process of enjoyment, recreation and observation of nature should not be impeded by too specific a goal.

My week-long backpacking trip through the Olympics last month was another example of taking a relaxed, contemplative approach to nature photography. Most of the trip was slow-going with much day-hiking and scouting of the landscape, much exploring with the camera and just developing a relationship with the new areas I visited. In the process of doing so, however, I did find one very specific and absolutely stunning place for a photograph, that would have to be made at a different time. I will come back for it also. I would not have found it to begin with if not for my desire to explore, and let things come to me. I love exploring nature, but I'm also a professional photographer. I try to strike a balance there. The Hood shot is the best example I can think of, where the photographer has become separated from the nature lover that I am. The other trips mean so much more to me, but I've spent so much time at this Hood shot now I can't justify just giving up on it. At least driving up there and going to work for me means camping out in the snow.

Tom, clear-cuts don't fit into my idea of good Mount Hood photography so I generally avoid the North side if I can, particularly the areas surrounding Lolo pass. If there are no clear-cuts visible in a wide angle shot from the area you're talking about, then I'm interested. I can't see how there would not be any though. The whole North side West of Lost Lake is almost nothing but tree farming.

Yes, at least work for you means camping in the snow with the beauty of Hood nearby. I'd give just about anything to trade in my cubicle and mouthy Corporate America boss for a tent and mouthy fir tree Mon-Fri. I get out and climb a lot, but the only mountains I've climbed 40 times are the mountains of paperwork on my desk.

Initially, like a bad relationship that a guy just can't let go of, it may just be time to forget about that shot for awhile and focus elsewhere. If you cannot do that (which is understandable) then perhaps come up with an alternative "bonus" reason for being in that area, or an alternative project (whether you sell it or not) while you're there that utilizes something unique that you've found in that area from having spent so much time there. It may just be a collection that you keep to yourself to remind yourself that all of those trips up there weren't wasted time. Maybe a book, calendar or some other project called "Waiting for the Light" or something satirical like "50 Trips of Failure" (or something more aptly named) that contains a collection of other types of amazing images that you've created on trips up there on mornings/evenings when that scene just wouldn't come into being for the image you're after, either because of the snow conditions or cloud conditions or light conditions.

It would seem somewhat up your alley to want to bring the beauty of an area that generally people just use as a pedistal to view something else to vision. From what I gather from internet posts, most people just walk up and walk all over TDH to get a better view of Hood. Does TDH have any of its own beauty to capture?

Absolutely - there are spectacular cliffs rising above Mirror Lake, below the center peak (I posted a photo a few weeks ago), and the views along the ridgeline is quite rugged in many spots, especially in winter. I'm a big fan of the little peaks. Had they not had the misfortune of occurring where a bunch of giant, glaciated volcanoes would eventually pop up, they'd be much more celebrated in their own right!

Tom

Spectacular though they may be, Tom, I don't find them very photogenic. I mean, I've spent hundreds of hours shooting around there and never come back with a keeper from TDH. I do have very high standards though and I'm not saying it can't be done. It certainly can. More intimate shots are always there. But from a landscape perspective, TDH doesn't interest me more than a drive over most of the passes. It's the usual cascade scenery except the burn back in the 60's knocked back most of the forest. I do agree, that if those cliffs were located in say... Oklahoma, they would be more celebrated.
Josh - TDH is a ridge, not a mountain, just to clear that up. A nice summit or peak would certainly help make it more photogenic. I do have a variety of nice summer images from up there though. One of Beargrass blooms and a sunburst on the horizon is definitely a favorite.

Marc, I didn't see your car there this morning as I passed TDH trailhead at 5:30. Not that I would have expected it since I know the ideal sun positioning you mention to me is gone after February. Anyway, I headed up to the Multopor Meadow hoping for a break after this big storm came through. Snow shoeing knee deep to get in there. It felt great just being out laying fresh tracks yet I admit a nice image would have been great too. Just a slight beam of sun from the East, Hood never even broke through. So no one missed anything this morning at sunrise that I could see!

BTW, I really appreciate all the insight of locations and directions you take the time to put on this forum Marc. I have been doing searches for places I want to visit this year and I constantly see responses you posted. Thanks for sharing!

And you will be the one that get's that shot of Hood, I am sure. Never forget that your office has no walls, stuffy cubicles, or moody co-workers. The view out a tent door is a great window view even when it's not photogenic.

Marc, I sure appreciate your dedication and hope it will materialize into the image you want. If nothing else, you are getting in some fitness training. Interesting idea of yours to maintain a database of potential shots, then continue to return until conditions are right and you get the image you visualized. I wish you the best of luck with this project. You're an inspiration to us all.

Edit: interesting that this winter was funky for pictures west of the Cascades. On my side, at least in Washington, this has been the most beautiful winter in the 32 years I have been in this state. There were none of the usual, drab inversion layers, just storm after storm interspersed with sunny days. You guys should have spent more time in Chelan and Grant Counties.

I knew it wouldn't happen on Sunday, Adrian. I have a huge amount of experience to draw from when looking at weather on Hood. The off shore flow was going to keep a large mass of clouds built up against the western slopes, as usual. I knew they wouldn't give way before an overriding low came through in the afternoon. I've seen that one too many times. Saturday might be nice up there, but I'll leave it to you guys. I'm heading high into the Steens, my favorite place in the state, allbeit not very photogenic either.

Missed your earlier post, Marc. For me, the beating that the north side has taken is the best reason to document the scenery (and abuse) there as a way to keep more of it from happening, again. Maybe even inspire some restoration work there by getting the scenes into the public conscience.

I've attached the view I was thinking of - elevation of about 5,000, so plenty high to be blanketed in snow for most of the winter. The approach would likely be from the Hood River Valley (Laurance Lake Road), with a very long ski and snowshoe, or possibly from Roads 18 and 16, if the snow level were above about 2500 feet. Here's a description of the newly recovered trail, opening last year after decades of logging and general neglect in the vicinity. But despite the damage in the area, this piece of ground remains quite pristine, and falls within the Mount Hood Wilderness additions proposed by Senator Wyden.