First attempt to shoot heaven

Ahh...light pollution from the city is really a big obstacle to get a decent shot of the stars. The shot could have been better if it was in minimal light polluted regions like Cambodia where the stars glitter more and rule the night.

Coincidentally, making it a little more interesting, a plane was passing by leaving the light trails from its wings and body captured by the long exposure from the camera.

Hiking Mount Si

Since it was a delightful sunny day yesterday, I decided to go hiking at Mount Si (pronounced as "Sigh"), about 45 minutes east of Seattle. The mountain looks moderately high, 4000 ft (1200 meters). The hike was 4 miles and took me two and a half hours. Haystack was the highest point but not everybody who made to the top went there because one had to scramble on the almost-vertical sharp-edge rocks. One misstep could end one's life.

I can spot the peak...


With extreme caution, I determined to scramble to the peak. It was worth the risk to get there and have a 360 degree view of the city and cascades. After eating lunch and enjoying the view for a couple of hours there, I hiked back down which took about an hour and a half.

Yay! I made it...


The only way up to the peak.


I'm glad I made it back in one piece.