Keefe Falls

One of the stops during the weekend was at Keefe Falls. It was my first trip to see the falls. I really enjoyed the drainage below the falls. I will be back to this area.

This is a 5 stitch pano with a 24mm.

Here are the rest of the pics from the trip.
http://www.pbase.com/mikehall/richland_creek_wilderness_area_spring_2010

Another from down the trail.

First image is more compelling. Great color and saturation. Very consistent for a pano. Nice work.

You better be careful up there Mike. BTW I don't know how Tim Ernst got the shot that he did of this waterfall for his waterfall guidebook. It is just to the left of this and there is nowhere to stand. Either the shale ledge he had then is gone, or he is one crazy SOB, probably both.

My Keefe Falls shot. Just a two shot pano, cropped square. A little bright at the top, but I can live with it. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4558957405_b39da35422_o.jpg

Don't recall where I was standing when I shot that one, although it was far to the left and there was a lot more water. I left a party at my cabin and drove all the way over just to take the one photo for an updated version of the guidebook. It was the very first time I realized that I could set the camera to a much longer delay (Minolta Dimage 7 or something like that), which gave me plenty of time to hike on over and get setup (instead of the normal 10-second timer that most cameras used to have). When I found a new 70' tall waterfall yesterday it took me a full two minutes to scramble down a very steep slope and get into position - I had the Nikon timer set to delay for two minutes, then shoot ten frames, one two-second exposure every ten seconds - all to make sure that I had plenty of time to get into the shot. The new waterfall reminded me of Keefe Falls in the height and the power of the water at the base - the wind blew my hat off too!

Glad you guys got to see Keefe Falls running well. These tall waterfalls really take much more water to make them photograph well - otherwise they are so tall they just look like little ribbons.

I really like the first shot.

My post-processing skills pale in comparison though.

I'm sure Mike is great with photoshop ('tis a great stitch for sure!), but these days Charles it is only one click to make a seamless stitch - amazing what we can do with software now.

Here is the photo that Matt mentioned for water flow comparison (taken with a 5mp point and shoot - not quite up to the quality of the other images posted here!). I got to see two carloads of hardy photographers from this group during the weekend so I was almost part of it all! One of these years I'll not have workshops and be able to participate officially...

Keefe Falls at high water flow

Tim as I was standing up there I was thinking about you running and trying to beat that 10 second timer. It looked difficult. I remember reading about you finding that extra function in the camera. I can't imagine racing that 10 second timer like you did for so many waterfalls.

Somebody had to do it! I just wish I'd read the owner's manual before I completed the first edition to the guidebook - if I didn't come home all torn up and bleeding from waterfall hunting every day my wife would have thought I was slacking - I took quite a few tumbles trying to run across some of those slippery rock slopes - some of the photos I took of the action of me not making my mark were kind of funny...

Geez Tim, now you are making it look like low water for the rest of us. I actually wasn't sure if you knew who we were when we stopped to talk to you Sunday. I imagine that you are constantly running into people and with workshops and slide shows it has to be difficult remembering everyone. I know I couldn't do it.

That's a ton of water Tim!! I would love to see it like this some year. I was driving the green jeep with Jon, Zack, and Karla. Looked like you had a good group of folks headed over to Falling Water Falls. I will never get back on that ledge at Keefe. After I shot enough for the pano, I eased off the ledge. It looked like the shale wall could collapse at any moment. I would stand next to the shale next time.

Of course I knew who you guys were - I was on the lookout and always expecting to find you at each location ahead of us! You are all becoming quite famous characters.

I don't recall anything especially dangerous at Keefe, that is just where I needed to be for the shot and so I figured out how to get there. I've been known to crawl on my belly like a snake to get into position for fear of falling if I stood up. That's just the nature of the job, and I get really miffed if I can't frame a scene the way I want to. As for the high water - I made three or four special trips before I got the water this high - sometimes ya just got to keep going back until you get what you want. Also part of the job. (I only wish I would have had a "real" camera with me instead of the little point and shoot. Oh well, it will rain again!).

Tim....Rain forecast is for all weekend!! You can always bet it will rain on Toad Suck Daze weekend!

I really like the first shot, Mike. I wasn't as adventurous on this trip as I have been in the past, mainly because I had Haley in tow. It's not that I was afraid of her falling as much as it was I didn't want her to tell her mother

Bring on the rain Karla - I've got a list of nearly 100 new waterfalls that I need to get photos of with me in my shorts...

I like the first shot also Mike. The ones from your album look pretty good too. I thought about climbing up to where this was, but all the crumbling shale changed my mind. Tim, did you catch it flowing like that after a 10 inch rainfall? I've been after 4 or 5 inches from what the radar says, and its never half of what you have in your photo.

You got some great shots this weekend, Mike. I think my favorite is the "Keefe Trail Sunshine" image. I visited Keefe Falls last October, and the only place I felt safe was at a lower level than from where your, Matt, and Tim's guidebook shot were taken.

Two great shots, Mike! The first one is certainly a classic, but a little scary to get. But every time I go there, it gets less scary. Glad you got some rain and had a great time. I hope to see you and Karla the next time around.

That shale hillside is probably constantly changing. Mike told me that he isn't going back up there. I probably would but who knows, that little flat spot may be gone soon. I can only guess that the spot Tim took his shot is gone now.

I went to the other waterfall in the drainage on the right. It is less than half the size, probably 30-35 feet, but in my opinion it is the prettier of the two falls. I will have to get a shot processed.

Wow. That first shot makes me feel a little dizzy looking at it!