Glacier National Park, Part 3

September 15, 2010

The morning was overcast but with promising breaks in clouds. Our first stop was to be Fish Creek. As we drove in a flash of red and gray darted across the road. While we didn't get a good look we convinced each other that it must have been a fox.

The skies made for very flat lighting but I did like this silhouette shot.



As we were heading back to the main road we saw what we assume was the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) we had seen earlier. Amazingly enough it was just sitting in the high grass just off the road. I stopped the car about 30 yards from him and we pondered what to do next. It turns out we had violated one of the prime rules in wildlife photography: always be ready. We had put our cameras away assuming we would slowly work our way up the Going to the Sun Road and focus on landscapes. As calmly as possible we grabbed cameras from the back seat. Unfortunately that was enough to spook the fox and all I got was this shot of him as he scampered off. Of course from that point on, we always had at least one camera at hand.



A bit disappointed that we had missed such a prime opportunity we continued on our way. But as the saying goes - sometimes a even blind pig finds an acorn. As we rounded a curve we spotted the fox again. Not wanting to spook him again I didn't want to get out of the car. Wendy was able to get some shots from her side but then was stopped dead when her memory card filled up. Of course her other cards were out of reach in the backseat. Having learned the hard way I always keep a couple of cards in my pants pocket. So she was able to continue shooting using one of my cards.











We proceeded up the Going to the Sun Road and found amazing landscapes at practically every turn. The clouds had dissipated even more allowing better light. Again we had to deal with a bit of haze over the distant views.



We stopped at the Lake McDonald Lodge and I grabbed this quick shot of a squirrel. It turns out there are at least 6 species of squirrels in the park. I have no idea which type this one was. Despite the technical issues with this shot I like it for some reason.



On the beach are these stacks of rocks. Why? We don't know and forgot to ask at the lodge.







More scenes on the Going to the Sun Road as we approached Logan Pass.







Coming down from Logan Pass and on the way to Rising Sun.



This is one of my favorite shots.



Somewhere in the next shot are some Mountain Goats. We had stopped because we had seen vehicles pulled over and people looking up-slope. We started talking to a couple that had set up a spotting scope. They said there were a number of goats but we certainly couldn't see them. They were nice enough to let us look through their scope and sure enough the goats were there. I have no idea how they were able to see those animals. Even with my large telephoto plus 1.4x tele-converter I couldn't get a decent shot of the goats.



In talking to the couple (who were from Texas) they said they had seen a number of goats, Bighorn Sheep and Grizzly Bears up in the Many Glacier area in the northeast part of the park. So after a quick lunch at Rising Sun we were off to Many Glacier.

To get to Many Glacier we had to leave the park at the St. Mary entrance and then re-enter at Many Glacier entrance by Lake Sherburne. We had just re-entered the park when we saw a number of cars parked on either side of the road. A few inquiries and we spotted a couple of Grizzlies (Ursus arctos horribilis). A sow and her cub were out away along the shore of the lake and at times venturing into the water.

Eventually they came inland and somewhat closer to us. I would guess that this cropped shot of the pair was taken with them about 200 yards away.



The pair worked it's way across the field and it was like watching any mother and her young. The cub was full of youthful exuberance and constantly "attacked" his mother. Here the cub looks like he's playing that age-old game of "I'm not touching you..."



It's easy to forget how powerful and dangerous these animals are when you watch them interacting like any mother and her offspring.



Nipping at her heels...



Further up the road was a moose (Alces alces) feeding in a pond. Once again I was amazed that anyone could have seen her so far away. She wasn't very cooperative and stayed mostly obscured.



We drove up to the Swift Current motel and Many Glacier Lodge but didn't get any notable photos. Returning back down the road we again stopped at where the moose had been. This time someone pointed out that there was a cow and her calf. Can you see the cow?



The calf was more in the open but always under the watchful eye of the cow.



We were soon back at the location where we had seen the grizzlies. As it was nearing dusk we thought we had a good chance to see more grizzlies or other animals feeding down by the waters edge. Eventually we saw some people looking not toward the lake but in the other direction. We were very surprised to see an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) perched in a dead tree. At it's feet was a fresh salmon kill.











Bouyed by our luck in capturing a variety of wildlife we decided to get up early the next day to try to catch animals feeding in the early morning.

It was still pitch black out when we opened the door of our cabin the next morning and were faced with a heavy downpour. Since we were up anyway we headed back to Many Glacier. The only wildlife we did see that morning were some White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We saw a couple bolt into some thick underbrush but they never showed themselves again. Ironically the best view of deer we had was a doe and a couple of fawns that were feeding in the campground. We were expecting that any second someone was going to pop out of a tent and we didn't know who was going to be more surprised.

Not having any further luck we settled for a hearty breakfast before heading back to Whitefish to catch our train back to Everett.



It was a bit of a whirlwind of a trip but we were very fortunate to have seen the number and variety of animals that we did. Just as impressive was the gorgeous scenery at every turn. I can easily see spending a lifetime trying to capture every angle and nuance of the park. Glacier National Park is definitely on our must see again list.

Glacier National Park, Part 2

September 14, 2010

After the helicopter tour we headed into the park and on up through the Going to the Sun Road. By visiting the park at this time of year we avoid the large number of visitors and associated traffic tie-ups that I understand is common during the peak summer months. The trade-off is that the weather is less accommodating. Luckily for us most of the heavy cloud cover and fog had dissipated by the time we headed out.

Obviously compared to the helicopter viewpoints, there's a difference in the perspective at ground level. You get a different appreciation of the majestic landscapes when you see the relationship between the towering mountains and the surrounding panoramas that frame them.




At ground level the distant peaks and landscapes were often obscured by a bluish haze. Once again shooting in RAW and judicious post-processing helped minimize the haziness.




As beautiful as the scenery was, Wendy was on a mission to see Mountain Goats. For some reason she has always been drawn to them. Of course, I'm always on the lookout for opportunities to capture wildlife in their natural habitats.

We had heard from other visitors and park rangers that the Hidden Lake Overlook above the Logan Pass Visitor's Center was a prime spot to find animals especially Mountain Goats. The brochures said that the hike to the overlook was a mile and half hike with a 500 foot rise. That's probably a no-brainer for experienced hikers but we were (a) flat-landers starting out at 6600 foot elevation, (b) woefully out of shape, and (c) carrying 25-35 pounds of camera equipment. But WTF there might be Mountain Goats up there...so off we went.

Later we both admitted that we were already gasping for breath just walking around the visitor's center. Slowly but steadily we trudged up the side of this seemingly endless and steep slope. It's a humbling experience to be passed by fit people who are 10-15 years older than you are.

At one of our frequent stops we caught a glimpse of something racing across the open ground.




This was one of a small band of Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata).








As we continued up our rest stops became more frequent and for various reasons. One time is was to catch our breath, another it was to relieve the strain of the shoulder straps from out camera backpacks, and yet another was to regain some strength in our spent legs.

At one point as we came close to what we thought was the final stretch, some headed down said "You're almost half-way there!" Wendy's reaction was classic: "What! Are you kidding me?!?!?" Fortunately for us we were more than half-way but more importantly we were completing the steepest part of the hike.

Then we got our first encouragement by coming across a Mountain Goat that was hidden just off the trail. Wendy couldn't resist and might have gotten slightly off the trail to get a few shots.

I was a few yards further up when someone else pointed out a Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis). This ram stayed quite a ways off the entire time we were up there.




Later we found him again further up the slope taking a little snooze. If we hadn't known he was up there I don't know if we could have picked him out.








Not too much further along we came upon the actual overlook. Set above Hidden Lake the overlook presented a great, er, overlook. But enough with the pretty scenery we wanted to see Mountain Goats.

Someone said they had seen a few goats down slope aways but they had long since disappeared. After the grueling hike up we were determined to wait them out. Soon enough we saw a white speck peek out from some heavy tree cover. As with any animal sightings I try to get a few shots off as soon as possible because that might be the only opportunity. So from about 150 yards away we started to get some clear shots of a couple of adults and a kid.

Here they are playing peek-a-boo.




Unbelievably we watched as they made their way up the slope right towards us. They were so close to us I had to switch to a shorter zoom in order to fit in a full length shot.
















Everyone kept a respectful distance and the goats were wary but seemingly relaxed around the people traipsing around their territory.

It was about mid-afternoon and almost all my shots were backlit. I did manage a few shots in open shade as if this goat was posing for his (her?) senior portrait.




But then again maybe he's trying to tell me something here.




At one point there were 2 groups of three Mountain Goats in the area. Each group had what appeared to be a nanny with a kid. We speculated that the third goat in each group was an older kid from each nanny.

We kept hearing a repetitive chirping sound and found this Columbian Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus) perched on a rock. I guessed it might be trying to draw our attention because someone might be near it's burrow. But then again I'm just making a wild guess based on watching a few nature programs on the Animal Planet channel.












Back to the Mountain Goats...even a goat will stop and smell the roses.




Alright they're not roses and he was actually having a snack but it sounded good for a second.

One final head and shoulders shot for the yearbook.




I would guess we had been at the overlook for two or three hours. It had been sunny but cool with a few high clouds. Suddenly a heavy fog (or low clouds) rolled in. One minute we were in bright sunlight and the next it's socked in and very chilly. This just brought home how easy it would be for unprepared hikers to find themselves in suddenly inhospitable conditions.

We started a mass exodus back down the slope as visibility got worse and worse. Just before we got to the very steep part we came across a small group of Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta). Obviously these birds had become so accustomed to people that they didn't immediately flee from us. These birds were within 10 feet of the path we were on.













We continued on down the slope which thankfully was so much easier than going up. By the time we got back to the visitor center there was less than 15 feet of visibility. I thought this was going to be an interesting drive back down the narrow, twisting road with low visibility and dusk quickly approaching.

To our surprise, we dropped out of the fog relatively quickly and the rest of the drive back down was uneventful.

Glacier National Park, Part 1

September 14, 2010



We took a very quick vacation to Glacier National Park recently. We started with a train ride from Everett to Whitefish, Montana. Instead of the usual coach seats we had reserved a "roomette" that is a small two seat compartment into two bed sleeper at night. The gentle swaying and rocking of the train was oddly conducive to sleeping. Unfortunately every time the train slowed down or stopped it would wake us up so we didn't sleep through the night. Regardless it was a low-stress and enjoyable way to travel.



In Whitefish we picked up our rental car and headed to West Glacier about 30 miles away. Just outside of the park entrance we came across one of the local helicopter tour companies, Glacier Heli-Tours. As we were short on time and the weather was questionable, we made the decision to go immediately for the one hour ride. A bit of a splurge and a somewhat impetuous decision but sometimes you just gotta say WTF.



As soon as we got our first glimpses of the magnificent scenery any doubts were instantly wiped away. To say the views were spectacular is a gross understatement. The ride took us over the entire park and up to the Canadian border. Our pilot provided a running commentary identifying the various peaks and glaciers. In all honesty he could have made it all up and we wouldn't have known the difference.








At times the camera can isolate you from your surroundings. The camera becomes a viewing port and you might as well be looking at photos on a computer screen. With an unobstructed view from the helicopter and scenes that just inundate your senses you can't help but experience the striking beauty around you. The entire time you just struggle to capture these views that you know you can't possibly do justice to the spectacle before you.








I also realize how inadequate I am in attempting to describe the experience. How many ways can I say magnificent, breath-taking, awe-inspiring, overwhelming, and so many other cliche sayings?








There are of course some unique challenges when shooting from a helicopter. First there's the vibration. Making sure to shoot at a higher shutter speed can reduce the effects. There's possible distortion and reflection from the bubble. The only thing I could do was vary taking pictures forward or to the side. The side window presented yet another challenge. It had a very noticeable bluish tint. Using the camera's auto white balance setting helped but more importantly was being able to set the correct color balance in Photoshop Camera Raw during post processing.



Even by shooting from above the clouds and closer to the mountains we still had to deal with a noticeable amount of haze. Again by shooting RAW and with a bit of post-processing, I was able to salvage a number of shots.



Looking back I wish I would have asked the pilot to make some second passes or try different shooting angles. As it was I was just firing away as quickly as I could because practically every angle was a winner.








Wendy had the back seat to herself and I sat in the front left seat. I not only had great forward visibility but could look down and watch as glaciers, outcroppings, and high mountain lakes skim by below us.






At one point, our pilot pointed out a fire outlook off in the distance. Set on the ridge 3 miles from the summit of Heaven's Peak this lookout was built during World War II by members of the Civilian Public Service. Composed of conscientious objectors, they built lookouts, water towers, and other public works in lieu of military service.








The lookout sits on a the ridge with a 1000 foot drop-off to one side. Unfortunately the lookout has fallen into a state of disrepair.













Our hour was over way to quickly. If/when we go back I definitely want to do the tour again.