Dear Reader (2020-08-11),
Today is day 2 of my 3 day camping trip to the Icefields Parkway.
Wednesday July 29 – Wilcox Pass and Lookout < 12 km – Out and Back
Last night’s supper was freeze dried what’s it. I added too much water. Even after boiling off some of the water I was still left with something that had the sole benefit of providing calories. It had been 4 years since the last time I slept in a tent. Though the 1 inch thick thermarest was not horrible, I have decided to make a concession to my body. I will have an air mattress for my next camping trip (which by the way is coming up).
The day starts early. In true camping fashion, I seem to easily make the transition to a time perspective that is even more distant than COVID time, let’s call it “just being” time. This morning’s breakfast with fresh coffee is so much better than last night’s meal (?). After putting everything away, I drive north for less than hour just past Sunwapta Pass to the Wilcox Pass trailhead. I manage to squeeze the truck into the penultimate parking spot.
There is a short introduction before the ascent begins. Initially the walk is through an old dry forest where some of the trees are thought to be over 400 hundred years old. As I climb there are the viewpoints, and even one with a couple of red chairs, that provide west looking vistas across the valley to the Colombia Icefields. The trail starts high and it doesn’t seem to take long before I am well above the treeline, in a land, that looks like how I imagine Mongolia. The sense of space is immense, and I have absolutely no sense of scale. My jaw drops.
Today’s collection finishes with 5 images called “Other Hikers”.
As always your comments are sought and welcomed. Please come back this weekend for the third of 3 walks along the Icefields Parkway.
Cheers, Sean
All rights for all material on any media reserved – © Sean P Drysdale 2020-2024
Out in the middle of nowhere, and people! Sheesh. Don’t they know you’re trying to get nice landscape shots? Mostly on these I want to hike over the hill to see what’s on the other side, out of sight of the camera.
14 is the one that grabs my attention. My eye happily wanders around following various roads, rivers, ice fields, lines of rock, enjoying the changing textures. My cousin was there just a few days ago as well, reminding me it’s been a great many years since I’ve been there. Are they still putting up the signs to indicate where the glacier ended in various years?
Belated thanks for visiting and commenting. I just got back from new adventures.
Hi Sean,
Thank you for your engaging narratives (Walking Reports) and wonderful images. I have been following your numerous and diverse hiking trips. Obviously, landscape photography in the high country is physically rigorous. Your photos demonstrate the challenging dedication to the demands and rewards of this photographic project. You have chosen the most difficult time of day for this task, outside of the classic golden hours. Many of your photos capture strong leading lines and interesting perspectives. I believe you B&W photos are best suited for this high contrast time of day. If you don’t already, I would recommend that you hike with a tripod, speed light and neutral density filters as these provide more photographic opportunities. I have left some new messages on some of your Walking Reports. I hope that these comments are helpful for you. Thank again
I was carrying a tripod on my initial walks and not using (really out of laziness) it. On recent walks, I have not been carrying a tripod, and realized that I have missed some opportunities. So, it is time to both carry and use the tripod. Heartfelt thanks.
Strong images on photo #12 (3412) and #13. Black&White works well for this high contrast scene. As you probably know, in post-processing of B&W, you can employ a red filter in order to greatly darken the sky, thus creating even more drama.
Richard congratulations for going through all the Walking Reports in a single sitting. I hope you had refreshments throughout. Thank you kindly for all your comments, and especially for those comments that encourage different or additional approaches. Cheers