This past weekend I went to Gorton Creek with an awesome group of photographer friends. Nick Wrzesinski, the amazing bearded man from SmugMug, was in town, so we treated him to an exceptional outing of moss, waterfalls, and some pretty decent (and death-defying) hiking. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t death-defying, but hiking up the side of a waterfall sure isn’t a walk in the park.

Gorton Creek is one of those locations that I could visit over and over again. In fact, this trip was my third or fourth time here in the last six months. There is a gorgeous bridge right as you approach the creek, and then as you continue on up the path you are greeted by a very nice waterfall. If you’re daring enough (which we were on this occasion), you can hike up alongside the falls and will eventually find yourself at a pretty epic waterfall. The beauty of these hikes is that not too many people make the effort to get to them … we often will see people drive up in their cars to some of the more accessible waterfalls, look for a minute or two, and then keep on driving. Apparently there is no need to even step outside of the car!

As a photographer, there is no other way than to get right up in mother nature’s face. Being out here is way more than just creating photographs. I enjoy the solitude of being away from the crowds, the aroma of the mossy green trees, and the sound of the rushing water. It’s one of the main reasons why I moved to the Pacific Northwest, and places like Gorton Creek will never get old to me.

By the way, this was my first official outing with the Canon 6D. So far, I really like the camera. Other than having to get used to a few new button locations, I had no trouble at all with it. I plan on doing a side-by-side comparison of the quality between the 6D and my 5DIII, but from this one outing I’m pretty certain that the 6D will be my new replacement for landscape and travel photographs. Long live wifi and GPS!