Ladder Creek Falls plunges down a steep mountainside above the Skagit River Valley in North Cascades National Creek. The North Cascade Mountains create a formidable barrier to Pacific storm fronts which move in from the open ocean just west of here during the winter months. As the moist air in these fronts is forced up over the high mountains, the air cools and drops prodigious amounts of snow and rain to feed countless creeks and rivers as well as some of the largest glaciers in the 48 states. This photograph was captured on 6x7 format film. All photos in these galleries may be ordered as fine art black & white framed prints or for stock photography usage.