The winners of the ninth annual contest were announced in the January-February issue of Washington Trails magazine. Sixteen of the winning images are included in the magazine. You also can see the winning photos at wta.org.
The area winners
Janet Holm of Puyallup
• Won first place in the Flora and Fauna category for her close-up photo of a delicate dandelion taken at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge.
“I was hiking in the Turnbull National Wildlife refuge on the Pine Lakes Loop hoping to see wildlife... but I noticed the large dandelions on the side of the trail.”
Wes Cooper of Auburn
• Won first place in the Hikers in Action category for his black-and-white photo of people climbing the Emmons Glacier at Mount Rainier.
“I was leading a group of climbing students to the top of Mount Rainier via the Emmons Glacier,” Cooper said in a news release. “As dawn broke we found ourselves about 400 feet below the summit, where the wind and sun sculpt the ice into very interesting shapes, known as penitents.”
Ken Kaufman of Buckley
• Won third place in the Families on Trail category for his image of two children standing in a unique tree near Rialto Beach.
Harry Abelman of Auburn
• Won third place in the Flora and Fauna category for a up-close image of young vine maple leaves covered with raindrops, taken in the Ohanapecosh area at the park.
The grand prize winner, “Ruby Beach After a Storm,” was taken in late fall, just before sunset by Todd Mortensen of Everett. The image shows waves racing through some rocks while gray clouds shroud most of the setting sun.
“I visit the Olympic National Park several times a year as it is one of my favorite places to hike and photograph, often in the late fall to early spring to take advantage of the passing storms,” Mortensen said in the release.
If you want to enter the 2012 contest, submissions open in August and will be accepted through Oct. 14.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
