2024 in Photos

Time just keeps flying by.......how is it December 31st already?

And yes, this means it's time for another edition of the "Linda's Lens" year-end photo recap.  As my regular readers know, I've developed a tradition of highlighting my most memorable images from the year gone by in a final post.  As is my custom, I choose one photograph from each month of 2024 that I feel best represents that month's noteworthy event.  Because I'm always behind on posting events, some of these photos have never appeared on the blog until now.  Of course, some months had several great photos to choose from, and others had me searching for one worthy image.  So, as it is every year, the choices are never easy.  

But now it's time to throw back the curtain, and unveil the twelve photographs that made the cut.  Here are the images I felt best captured my life in the year 2024:

January

Steamboat, Colorado

This year, my buddy Kim and I purchased IKON passes, which enabled us to ski at several North American resorts.  Our first big trip occurred in mid-January, when we flew to Steamboat, Colorado, one of our all-time favorite places to ski.  I had three glorious days on the slopes, and I made as many runs as my legs would allow.  Not only is this resort known for stunning scenery, the charming town of Steamboat Springs was a wonderful place to explore.  (Check out my post about this ski trip.)

February 

Kayaker on the Wilson River

In between winter rainstorms and days on the slopes, I managed to get in a couple of hikes this month.  One of these was a fantastic ramble along a portion of the Wilson River Trail in the Oregon Coast Range.  I love the Coast Range forests in winter - the bare, mossy trees and huge ferns are spectacular.  But while enjoying a break along the river, my friend and I got to witness an unusual sight - two kayakers tumbling through the rapids.  Of course, I had my camera ready to capture all the action.  (For more photos, check out my post about this hike.)

March

Harbor Seals at Yaquina Head

March was one of the months where it was difficult to choose just one photo, because lots of memorable things happened.  But I finally whittled it down to an image I made from a trip to Newport, on the Oregon coast.  I hadn't spent much time here in quite awhile, but when my neighbor Cheri invited me to accompany her on a trip to photograph some of the local wildlife, I jumped at the opportunity.  We saw all kinds of birds - a peregrine falcon, loons, and a flock of Harlequin ducks.  But the harbor seals resting on the rocks at Yaquina Head produced my favorite images of the day.  I was so enamored with Newport that I returned a couple of months later for more exploration.

April

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

There's so many things to photograph in the spring months - migrating birds, wildflowers, spring skiing.  Adding to this list is the annual Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, where huge fields of tulips color the landscape.  This year I decided to wake up early for sunrise.  Not only did I capture some beautiful skies, I also caught the launch of four hot air balloons.  What a perfect photo op - I loved this image of the balloons photographed as they drifted over the tulip fields.

May

Aurora Borealis over Montana

While visiting my son in Montana, I was witness to an unusual event - the Aurora Borealis.  On May 10th, an extremely strong magnetic storm from the sun hit earth's atmosphere, producing colorful auroras all over the world, as far south as Florida.  My son and I parked on a hill above his town and watched in awe as ribbons of colors danced in the night sky.  It was an incredible thing to see, and something I won't soon forget.  (For more, check out this post.)

June

Peak rhododendron bloom near Ramona Falls

Commence summer hiking season!  One of my favorite treks is taking the Pacific Crest Trail to Ramona Falls during the rhododendron bloom.  This year, I actually got the timing right and hit peak flower season.  There's nothing better than traversing a trail lined with huge pink blossoms.  The weather wasn't great - I picked a rainy day for this excursion, but the cloudy skies provided an added bonus as they made the colors absolutely pop.  (Check out this post for more images.)

July

Green heron babies at a local park

I spent a large amount of summer days walking through local nature parks in search of wildlife to photograph.  One of the best places I found was surprisingly the urban park nearest my home (see my post about this place here.)  Not only was there always some type of bird to photograph, this year it appeared the local green herons chose the park to make their nests.  One nest was right next to a very busy paved path that circled the lake.  I had front-row views of four fuzzy green heron babies and enjoyed photographing their antics as they grew into adulthood.  (See my post about the green heron babies.)  As an added bonus, I met quite a few local wildlife photographers.  I joined a great community of photo enthusiasts, some of whom I now run into every time I visit. 

 

August

Wildflowers at Mt. Hood Meadows

Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort is my winter happy place.  But surprisingly during summer months, its slopes transform into a wildflower wonderland.  In the past few years, the resort management has established many hiking trails and now it's one of my favorite places to hike.  This year the wildflower bloom here was off-the-charts amazing - the best I've seen for a long while.  I made three separate fabulous treks here to enjoy the amazing landscapes (See my post here.)

  

September

Gimmelwald, Switzerland

The big event of 2024 was my September trip to Switzerland.  I've been slowly recapping my journey through multiple blog posts, and I hope to finish up in the next couple weeks.  There were so many images to sort through that choosing just one to represent this fantastic tour proved to be a monumental task.  But I finally narrowed down my top photograph to this lovely scene in the storybook village of Gimmelwald (which if you've been following my trip recaps, you'll see again shortly.)

October

Joshua Tree National Park

In late October, I journeyed to Southern California to help my aunt celebrate her 85th birthday.  While visiting, I rented a car and drove out to bag another nearby National Park, Joshua Tree.  Although I'm not much of a desert person, I did enjoy the wide-open views, and of course the fascinating, spiky Joshua Trees.  A blog post about this trip is upcoming, so stay tuned!

November

Eagle Creek Trail, Columbia River Gorge

Early November is when Portland and the nearby Columbia River Gorge reach peak fall leaf colors.  In my opinion, it's the very best time to hike the Gorge trails, and I did just that, hitting as many as I could before the leaves fell away.  My favorite autumn hike is none other than the majestic Eagle Creek Trail, and it won the prize for "memorable November moment."  Although my chosen image doesn't show much leaf color, I loved this capture of Eagle Creek, framed by mossy branches and dying leaves.

December

Early ski season!

Usually every autumn, I anxiously wait for snow to fall in the mountains so I can ski again.  For several seasons, the white stuff has been slow to accumulate, and for the past decade I haven't hit the slopes until well into December (last year my first ski day wasn't until January.)  But not in winter 24-25, my first ski day was the Monday before Thanksgiving.  I think it's been at least 25 years since I've skied in November!  And not only were the resorts open, they were boasting a whopping four foot base.  As you can imagine, I've been a very happy skier this month, logging 9 days on the slopes already, and it isn't even 2025 yet!  Maybe I'll go for a personal record of ski days in a season this year?

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Happily, I've managed to stay healthy in 2024, and enjoyed many skiing and hiking trips.  I traveled to three National Parks, one for the first time, and also visited five other ski areas besides my two in-state favorites.  I also journeyed overseas to the beautiful country of Switzerland.  I made many trips to see family and also enjoyed a few local excursions in the Pacific NW.  My yearly activity tally (so far) stands at 28 ski days and 60 hikes.  Not too shabby!

As always, I look forward to the coming year for more of the same of my favorite outdoor activities.  After my close call with a brain abscess emergency three years ago, I'm thankful for every day I get to spend on this earth, and wake each morning grateful to see another sunrise.  

Thanks to my readers who have stuck with me for all these years.  I mainly blog to keep a record for myself, so I'm always touched (and a little amazed) when others reach out with comments.  I'm glad others enjoy my photos and ramblings.

Here's to a continuation of my skiing, hiking, and photographic adventures in the coming year.  Onward to 2025!