Touring the Rockies
Started in the airport, now we’re here.
*Cue piano roll.* The Canadian Rockies tour has been in our minds for a very long time now, and was made possible through a Kickstarter campaign launched over a year ago. We had used our funds to scout out locations for 3 weeks in August of 2015, so that we could create the perfect itinerary for photographers. After reflecting on those experiences, (and photographs!) we worked with our partner tour company to organize a trip for a small group of travelers for 2016. And now, here we are. The date had finally arrived - BlueHour was on the plane to Canada with students in tow! We spent a glorious 8 days in the mountains and wilderness chasing sunrises, sunsets and wildlife. It was a success!
After getting our bearings, our rental cars [a van and the ever-soulful bright red Kia Soul] and luggage, we were off to Banff. It's about a two hour ride from the airport - one where the landscape slowly changes from bustling city, to farmland, to mountainous forest. We arrived at the Mountaineer Lodge, conveniently located very close to Lake Louise - a sunrise destination left for the last day in Banff.
We were all very excited to get out and explore, and get shooting. We must have spent 30 minutes or less at the lodge before getting back in the van to visit Moraine Lake. And Moraine Lake was just, breathtaking. You can look at hundreds of pictures of it beforehand, but you'll still gasp when you see it person for the first time. Many people ask me, from my photographs, or when looking at Paul's, if the scene was altered or edited in a way to make it look so brilliant - and the answer is always the same - No. What you see is what you get - it really is that blue, and it's the bluest water you will ever see. And I've been to Capri in Italy.
After a couple of hours, and after the sun had set, we drove back to the lodge. A few of us sat down for a late-night dinner at the new favorite: The Outpost Pub, and after stuffing our faces with poutine we made our way to retire for the night. At this point, everyone was exhausted. Between waking up at 3:30 or 4 in the morning back home, a full day of plane travel, two hour time difference, waiting around, and driving, we were beat. Everyone went to their beds to get a night's rest for the full day ahead. Except Paul and I, of course. We literally went back out to Moraine Lake, to capture those elusive Milky Way photographs. He told me we were going back out - I thought he was joking at first. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Turns out we were in the middle of a meteor shower and the milky way was visible to the naked eye just overhead.
Moraine Lake by Day + Photographer at work
Moraine Lake by Night - afterhours
Day 2 was quickly upon us. After breakfast we were off to Emerald Lake, with a pit-stop at the Natural Bridge. Emerald Lake looks just like the name suggests: Emerald, dotted with red canoes. A drive up some switchbacks in nearby Yoho National Park (British Columbia) brought us to Takakkaw Falls - meaning "The magnificent one" in Cree. Standing at 991 feet tall, yes, it is magnificent - barreling out of the mountainside. Unfortunately, it's really difficult to capture that kind of scale through images; typically you need a human to show scale, but, they were all so, so tiny you couldn't even see them approaching the falls. This is one to see in person. After the falls were rode up the Banff Gondola to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. By the time we got back down to Banff, it was dinner time. We ate our group dinner at Earl's Kitchen - and it was pretty darn good. Some nutrients before our early dawn shoot the next day.
And, Day 3: the last day in Banff before heading northward. We rallied early - 5:30 AM to be at Lake Louise for the sunrise. We weren't the only ones with that idea, either. People lined the rocks of the lake to watch as the sun rose from behind us to shine on Victoria Glacier with bright pinks and oranges. As the sun rose, reflections of the mountains appeared in the milky water. It took about two hours to witness the entire spectrum of 'looks;' it was almost impossible to get a bad shot - unless you didn't stake out your spot early enough or pesky, unaware tourists were entering your frame without warning. I'm glad we chose this spot for sunrise, since it began to rain quickly after and persisted throughout the day (and, it was close to our beds, too).
Lake Louise in the changing sunlight
Making use of the weather, we headed to Cascade Gardens to take advantage of the water drops on the flower petals and to practice macro photography. Because that's what we do here folks - we make the best of it. You've got to be flexible. It always rains in the Rockies.
We broke for lunch in Banff to beat the rain - and I don't know what our students went to eat, but we had one our best lunches, in my opinion, at the Banff Park Distillery. Yeah, that's right - we had a glass. And some fondue. A full plate of cured meats, pickles, potatoes, breads and grapes, and sweet melty cheese.
After some roaming, we all visited the Vermillion Lakes. It was pouring rain, cloudy, and didn't look like it would clear. But, Paul insisted we wait. Morale was low. But, sure enough, Paul's internal weather reading was intact - and to everyone's surprise - the weather cleared and a beautiful fog formed over the lakes. It was comical actually; a bride showed up immediately after the rain had passed for a wedding shoot. I guess the New England motto rings true here, too: "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." We headed back toward Lake Minnewanka, and were treated to a herd of elk - Bucks, does and fawns. Perfect ending, right? It wasn't over yet though. We still had sunset. After some elk watching, we backtracked to the Lakes to catch the pinkest sky we saw over our whole trip and a full arc of a rainbow over Mount Rundle's peak. Now that's the perfect ending.
Rainbow over Mt. Rundle
To the wilderness of Jasper National Park
Day 4 marked the halfway mark of our tour, meaning we were ready to strap in for a long ride out of Banff and into the more secluded Jasper National Park. Seeing as none of us really loved the idea of being boxed into a car seat all day, we made sure to make several stops for the scenery. We made quick stops at Crowfoot Glacier (a once magnificent sheet of ice that has now receded, quite a lot), Bow Lake, and a full hour at Peyto Lake.
Peyto Lake is a little bit of a hike to get to, but worth the view. It's just magical and grand. Just be careful not to take a tumble.
After a journey northward, it became obvious we were somewhere different. The roads were going up up up, and the surroundings became bare. We were on the Icefields Parkway. And we were scheduled to ride by snow coach onto the Athabasca Glacier of the Columbia Icefields.
And it was awesome. A bit chilly, but nothing too extreme. It was really cool to be that close to the these massive ice sheets, and a little sad to know they'll be gone soon enough. Our tour guide was explaining how far this one had receded - about a mile over the last 125 years. I highly recommend watching a documentary called Chasing Ice to really understand how rapidly these natural formations are disappearing - I think it helps put where we are in perspective. Regardless, it was a cool experience getting to see a glacier up close, as well as the streams of ice melt.
Before we knew it we were at our next hotel: Lobstick Lodge. I think everyone (especially me) was really excited for scrambled eggs and bacon the next day. Mmm. We had made it to Jasper - the only civilization for miles. It's definitely a town meant for skiers, hikers, and adventurers and it's not nearly as crowded as Banff. I wish we could do a whole week in Jasper itself. Even though we had already had a full day, out appetite for photos had not yet been satisfied. So about half the group ventured out to nearby Patricia Lake, with the promise of dramatic storm clouds - and, we were rewarded with dramatic photos, and time lapses!
Storm over Patricia Lake
Sitting by Sunwapta Falls
And then came day 5, with a morning at Pyramid Lake, where were greeted with mountainous reflections and colorful rock for interesting landscape photography practice. We also stopped in the Aspen groves - which are ripe for interesting compositions and black and whites. Aspens are similar to birch trees, but have a Northwestern forest flare.
We then made our way to Athabasca Falls, where we practiced using ND filters on the fast flowing water, and saw the interesting canyon stairways you can probably recognize from travel photos you've seen in the past. Then, Sunwapta Falls, a site where the thundering water separates into two bends that surround a little island, which makes for an interesting composition. If you're daring enough, you can get some pretty cool portraits by sitting on the edge of the falls. Or, you can capture some great photos or video from a safer spot.
A highlight was a Maligne Lake boat cruise to Spirit Island. Spirit Island is one of the most recognizable places in the Rockies, since it is just so photogenic. On the way, we spotted a Bald Eagle in the trees, and a Loon that was singing for us. Usually, you can hear these birds but not see them, or you see them but don't hear them. We were lucky to experience both.
Time flies when you’re having fun
How many days has it been? 6? It feels like it just flew by, and with only two left to go. I think I think the last two days were packed with some of the more interesting moments. So our readers who have been following along to this point will be satisfied- Read on.
We began our 7th day by riding up the Jasper SkyTram to the summit of Whistlers Mountain. It was a new perspective on Jasper, from above. The place was also crawling with marmots, and pikas, and we enjoyed following them around for wildlife photos on a mountaintop. The photo possibilities here were many - as we were in the clouds. Literally. We decided this was the perfect spot for a group photo!
After a couple of hours, we rode back down to the base and made our way to Mount Edith Cavell, not far out of the town of Jasper. This spot is the closest we'd come to a cliff face, with Mount Edith, it's glaciers, and rivers right in front of us. We made some great clips here, too. But, this story gets better.
As I was walking up the trail, I saw a group of people on some rocks - I heard them say "bear." My ears perked up. "It's a Grizzly-" Right then and there I climbed up the rocks, too. I started yelling for two of our students who were just below, waving them toward me. I caught sight of, sure enough, a Grizzly Bear. He walked right out of the woods. We kept our distance, of course. But, sure enough, the bear exited the woods, and crossed the footpath directly in front of us. It was perusing the rocks for seeds buried by the ground squirrels. Paula, who only had a point-and-shoot camera, got some great photos - yes, that is how close we were. You didn't even need a zoom. It became obvious there was a bear around, because everyone in the area was either running, or screaming for their kids to get away, or yelling for their friends to get a picture. It was a little chaotic. Of course, our group was camera-ready. It was a charged moment - I think everyone had an adrenaline rush.
After encounter #1, we made our way to the Tonquin Valley for some photos of the lake and Astoria River, just down the road. It began raining, so we all rushed back to the car (well, most of us). 15 minutes passed as we were waiting for Rick, one of our students. Did something happen? Paul took on the job of reconnaissance. He ventured back to the river to fetch Rick. By the time he got down there, Rick had already survived wildlife encounter #2: the return of our Grizzly friend. Safety is always our number one priority, but when you decide to explore on your own - something we encourage for the sake of art - there is always the inherent risk of being alone in nature. Our bear friend had made it to our location in search of food, and Rick did all the right things - he walked right up to him and took some great pictures. No - just kidding - he avoided the bear. But, he did get some good pictures, too, we aren't going to lie. Another adrenaline moment.
From here, we made a stop at Maligne Canyon, and Medicine Lake - a site where the wildfires of 2015 had torn through the trees. By the time of our trip, flowers were blooming, with the burnt wood as a backdrop, making for some cool narrative photos. But again, our students' appetites for photography were back. They didn't want to take a break for dinner, they wanted to venture onward. So what did we do? We stopped in town for some really good sandwiches at Patricia Street Deli - where will be going again next year. Then, we headed right out to Disaster Point, a recommended location from a local photographer for wildlife sightings. And we were rewarded, almost immediately, by a male Elk grazing on the side of the road with the mountains behind him. Count us in for encounter #3. The outskirts of Jasper are amazingly beautiful, and we will be making this a part of the itinerary for next year. Though we didn't see any large wildlife like the Bighorn Sheep we were hoping for, we did see a couple of Beavers and a gorgeous sunset.
And that brings us to day 8, our final day together as a group. We were in for a lot of driving - from Jasper all the way back through the Icefields, to Banff, and finally to Calgary. As tours go, there is never nothing to do, so thankfully, we had some new stops along the way.
And before we knew it, we were at our final destination: the airport hotel. We shared a dinner complete with dessert. And off we were, the tour concluded. We hope our students enjoyed themselves and created memories that will last a lifetime - and some favorite images, too. I know we did!
