Category: Photography

A Forest Hike

It has become my habit to take a forest hike whenever I find myself back in the Pacific Northwest. Hawaii Island offers relatively few good hiking trails, and I do miss the deep green forests of the PNW.

80' tall University Falls in The Tillamook Forest
80′ tall University Falls in The Tillamook Forest

I spend some time researching and selecting the hike before I go. Since I dedicate one day of the trip, I do want to make the best of it.

After considering a few possible plans I selected University Falls this year. As the falls hike is pretty short, under 2 miles, the plan included the nearby Nels Rogers Trail to add some distance and additional photographic opportunities.

There was some thought to my choice… Selecting the Coast Range rather than the more heavily used Cascades or Columbia River Gorge offered less risk of a fire season restriction. And while there were other hikers about, I was generally left to my chosen solitude on the trail.

The result? Not a bad plan.

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Crashed and Repaired

It is always a sick feeling in the gut when a drone goes down.

Removing the gimbal of a DJI Mini 4 Pro
Removing the gimbal of a DJI Mini 4 Pro

This time it was an unseen branch, a thin and leafless thing that reached well out from the tree, unseen until it was too late. Unseen by the drone’s obstacle avoidance system as well.

I crashed the drone at Panther Falls while enjoying a waterfall day in Southern Washington. A place deep in the trees where a drone pilot is advised to exercise caution. I did, and crashed it anyway.

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Waterfall Day

Falls Creek Falls drops into a large plunge pool
Falls Creek Falls drops into a large plunge pool

For the most part I was just spending time with the folks, a week hanging out and even doing some chores around the house.

I did have one day planned in an otherwise unplanned week… A hike somewhere, a chance to enjoy a bit of summer in a classic Pacific Northwest sort of way. This year it would be waterfalls.

I had two waterfalls picked out… Falls Creek Falls and Panther Falls, both located in the hills above Carson, on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge.

Along with the waterfalls I had one other stop planned, a quick excursion to the new Mitchell Point Tunnel. Add a lunch somewhere along the way and I had a full day.

An important part of the plan was an early start. I left the house at 4am for a dark drive up the gorge for a planned dawn arrival at the trailhead.

The morning dawned clear and beautiful… It should be a great day.

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Drone versus ʻIo

This bird did not like the drone.

I have flown around big birds before. Bald eagles, ravens, seagulls, other hawks… few had taken more that a moments notice of the drone. This attack surprised me, I did not even see the hawk coming, and it came in hard.

An iʻo or Hawaiian hawk takes exception to my drone in the forest near Kalamanu
An ʻio or Hawaiian hawk takes exception to my drone in the forest near Kalamanu

I was on the return leg of an exploration into the ʻōhia forest behind Puʻuwaʻawaʻa and having a little fun with the drone. Simple plan… Set the drone to hover and then bike past through the camera view.

I had left the drone to hover for the moment as I moved to the next spot, when I look up to see a flash of white slashing at the drone. It hits and the drone staggers in the air before recovering.

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