AUGUST LUPINE TWO

August 2025 and I wake up to my 2am alarm. The early wakeup was to afford myself enough time to find the ‘best’ spot to shoot wildflowers in this Three Sisters Wilderness location.

As I began this relatively easy hike, I once again became wary of Mountain Lions. Hiking at this dark hour is how I envision being confronted by the awesome cats, not midday. During these times I hike with my poles facing behind me, perpendicular to my body, unused for their normal function, like spears facing backwards. People say Mountain lions usually attack from the back, so I figure this is a minimal option for protection. Although there has only been one reported kill on a human by a Cougar in white human Oregon history, you never know.

As I approached the area I wanted to shoot, I crossed through a field of Lupine, bigger than I had seen in past trips...the smell was incredible and the size covered peak my attention. I arrived at the spot I wanted to shoot and hiked around looking for the signature flowers, they were there, but sparse. I went up and down, looking for a robust patch, never finding one. All of this is happening in the dark, but as time passed, I could see the faint East sunrise glow growing. I had to find a place to shoot.

After 45-minutes of scouting the decision to shoot the previously seen Lupine meadow was made easy. In my earlier years, I may have forced my plan to shoot in one location, missing a great, obivous opportunity right in front of me, not now, maturity I guess. The decision to shoot what you see here put me at ease and an overwhelming sense of peace rushed through me as I sat on a dirt patch in the gorgeous meadow, Broken Top looming in the background, waiting for the sun to rise.

The sun rose, I shot for 30-minutes, packed up, hiked out, went fly fishing for a couple hours before heading home to edit. I was up for 36 hours on this day and was fulfilled.

Two of two images from this morning.