The Culmination - Glacier National Park, Mt
I'm sure some of you know that I have a love affair with Glacier National Park. I've spent dozens of weeks in the park over the years trying to do it justice with photographs. There are so many spots that I have on my wish-list to photograph... last week I was finally able to check one off.
Cracker Lake has been on my radar for many years now, but I never got around to photographing it before now due to a few variables... but namely the long hike in the dark through the most active Grizzly territory in the park. Towards the end of a workshop I was leading I was joined by one client-turned-friend Mazen, my great friend Rob, and my lovely fiance Candace (yeah, I tricked her into agreeing to marry me recently).
It wasn't until we had a group of 4 that we all felt comfortable making the 12 mile day-hike to photograph this incredible scene... the last 6 miles made on the way back in the dark with twitchy nerves due to potential Grizzly Bear encounters. Man, it was so worth it. One of the most beautiful and peaceful hikes I have made in Glacier Park. Sweeping views abound and various types of terrain keep you motivated to see what is around the next bend or down into the next valley.
Arriving to this lake is worth it on it's own, even without getting any photos. It's the most vibrant turquoise colored glacial lake I have seen in Glacier... so dense with glacial silt that from the shore you can only see about 6 inches deep into the water before it becomes too milky to see further. Meadows of wildflowers blanket the shores and the vertical relief of Mt. Siyeh and Allen Mountain intimidate... hard to do the scale justice here while trying to fit all the elements into a 14mm frame.
I guess what I am getting at is that this is one of the most precious gems of Glacier I have seen (and there are many more I am anxious to see) so you really should take some time to explore this park... especially if you're a photographer, it's paradise.
This was shot with the Sony a7r (which is really growing on me) at 14mm. No exposure blending needed, but it is a blend of 11 different focus points at f11.
David Hutnik wrote: I'm holding a lighter in the air
I'm right there with you. This shot is gorgeous!
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