The Return to Glacier National Park
In October 2007 I joined a large group of dgrinners at Glacier National Park for what would be my first dgrin shootout. Devbobo, Mike Iem, and myself took the train overnight from Seattle to East Glacier Park where we rented a car and drove up to meet the other dgrinners at the town St. Mary. The trip was amazing, and I got to take tons of beautiful pictures and had an incredible time. However, several things bothered me about that trip: I never seemed to have enough lens to get any big game photos (I should have gone out taking pictures with Dixie), I couldn't make it up to the top of Logan's pass on the Going to the Sun road due to construction on the road, and when ever I took a picture it was likely there were at least half a dozen people with me who did a far better job of capturing that same scene. So I vowed to come back to Glacier National Park and bring my family (but make sure there were no dgrinners there); it took a couple years but I did it. This last week my wife, two daughters, and I took the overnight train from Seattle to Glacier National Park and stayed two nights at the Glacier National Park Lodge in East Glacier Village.
Instead of spending the 18 hour train trip in the lounge car like I did on the last trip with devbobo, I thought it would be more appropriate for us to get a family sleeper car.
The train left Seattle around 5 p.m. and arrived at East Glacier Park around 10 a.m. the next morning. For most of the daylight part of the trip the scenery from the train was amazing.
We hauled all our baggage 200 yards from the train station to the Glacier National Park Lodge, then I ran and picked up our rental car and we headed up to Many Glacier Lodge for lunch and pictures (Many Glacier lodge was closed when I was previously at the park). As my girls played in Swiftcurrent Lake it was fully dawning on me that there would be none of sunrise and sunset photos on this trip that had made up the vast bulk of my 2007 trip. The only hope was to get some amazing big game photos...but how? Last trip a 500+mm lens or Dixie was required for much of the great big game photos and I had neither of those items with me.
As we headed back to the Glacier National Park lodge I was starting to sulk when I saw what a jammer (red bus driver) would later refer to as a barricade (or rather bear-icade); the road was all but completely blocked by gawkers and photographers and one very nervous looking park ranger with shot gun. Knowing this meant nearby bear I immediately stopped, and was not disappointed! I had gotten my bear picture (even if it was just a black bear), I could now go home happy!
Day two we headed up to Logan's Pass. However that trip was nearly ended when on the windy highway 49 between East Glacier Park Village and St Mary my youngest daughter got car sick and threw up all over herself and the rental car. My wife, unwilling to be stopped by a very fowl smelling little girl and car insisted we continue on. A quick stop in St. Mary for a full on Glacier National Park outfit and some ineffective air freshener and we were back on our way.
We parked at the very popular Logan's pass stop,
and began our 3 mile hike. Knowing that I would not find any more great big game photos after the previous days bear photo I began photographing ground squirrels
and marmots.
As we continued on our hike I saw some big horn sheep in the distance, which made me again wish for a 500+mm lens (I wasn't thinking about the weight of the lens).
As we neared the mid point of our hike a smiling mountain goat walked right out of the trees in front of us and right past us,
he was followed by a couple more goats.
I was shooting pictures like crazy with a 2 year girl on my shoulders who kept banging my head saying "that's my book daddy" (referring to the 3 billy goats gruff). A little further and I got my up close with the big horn sheep.
The final day was a trip on the famous red bus
and a short boat trip on Two Medicine lake.
No big game on this trip, but still beautiful scenery.
At last it was time to return home on the train. After this trip I've decided I need to make an annual photo pilgrimage to Glacier National Park. By train it is so close to Seattle and the photographic opportunities are endless.
Here are a few more of my favorite pictures from that trip.
Instead of spending the 18 hour train trip in the lounge car like I did on the last trip with devbobo, I thought it would be more appropriate for us to get a family sleeper car.
The train left Seattle around 5 p.m. and arrived at East Glacier Park around 10 a.m. the next morning. For most of the daylight part of the trip the scenery from the train was amazing.
We hauled all our baggage 200 yards from the train station to the Glacier National Park Lodge, then I ran and picked up our rental car and we headed up to Many Glacier Lodge for lunch and pictures (Many Glacier lodge was closed when I was previously at the park). As my girls played in Swiftcurrent Lake it was fully dawning on me that there would be none of sunrise and sunset photos on this trip that had made up the vast bulk of my 2007 trip. The only hope was to get some amazing big game photos...but how? Last trip a 500+mm lens or Dixie was required for much of the great big game photos and I had neither of those items with me.
As we headed back to the Glacier National Park lodge I was starting to sulk when I saw what a jammer (red bus driver) would later refer to as a barricade (or rather bear-icade); the road was all but completely blocked by gawkers and photographers and one very nervous looking park ranger with shot gun. Knowing this meant nearby bear I immediately stopped, and was not disappointed! I had gotten my bear picture (even if it was just a black bear), I could now go home happy!
Day two we headed up to Logan's Pass. However that trip was nearly ended when on the windy highway 49 between East Glacier Park Village and St Mary my youngest daughter got car sick and threw up all over herself and the rental car. My wife, unwilling to be stopped by a very fowl smelling little girl and car insisted we continue on. A quick stop in St. Mary for a full on Glacier National Park outfit and some ineffective air freshener and we were back on our way.
We parked at the very popular Logan's pass stop,
and began our 3 mile hike. Knowing that I would not find any more great big game photos after the previous days bear photo I began photographing ground squirrels
and marmots.
As we continued on our hike I saw some big horn sheep in the distance, which made me again wish for a 500+mm lens (I wasn't thinking about the weight of the lens).
As we neared the mid point of our hike a smiling mountain goat walked right out of the trees in front of us and right past us,
he was followed by a couple more goats.
I was shooting pictures like crazy with a 2 year girl on my shoulders who kept banging my head saying "that's my book daddy" (referring to the 3 billy goats gruff). A little further and I got my up close with the big horn sheep.
The final day was a trip on the famous red bus
and a short boat trip on Two Medicine lake.
No big game on this trip, but still beautiful scenery.
At last it was time to return home on the train. After this trip I've decided I need to make an annual photo pilgrimage to Glacier National Park. By train it is so close to Seattle and the photographic opportunities are endless.
Here are a few more of my favorite pictures from that trip.
Andrew
initialphotography.smugmug.com
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera" - Dorothea Lange
initialphotography.smugmug.com
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera" - Dorothea Lange
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Comments
Cuong
Thanks Cuong. Last trip to Glacier National Park (the dgrin shootout) I actually dropped my camera and pretty much destroyed it, so I was extra careful with my camera on this trip.
initialphotography.smugmug.com
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera" - Dorothea Lange
It must be so cool to go back having a set of memories and already being somewhat familiar with the geogrraphy. It also looks so different in the summer. Most of my memories are of freezing in the wind and later the snow, and always being so tired.
I hope you and your family get to go back more often, too. Your wildlife encounters are fantastic and well worth the wait!
Photos that don't suck / 365 / Film & Lomography
Kristine
It looks sooooooooooooo different than when we were there!
I can't believe you saw so many critters!
Thanks schmoo, It was a lot of fun to return to the park. This was primarily a family trip (not a photo trip) so I was down to 2 lenses a camera set to jpg, but having so much more of the park open to me with the going to the sun road open made me realize the full photography potential of that park! I do have to say, it's not easy to take pictures while keeping an eye on two little ones, or while trying to carry one of those little ones on you shoulders.
Have an amazing trip Kristine! Don't be surprised if you take a lot more pictures than you expected to take!
Hey April, I'll give you a heads up before a make a 2010 trip
From what I now understand, the park is very different from week to week. The week we were there it was 75~80F every day. The previous week I was told the entire park was covered in snow!
Another example: One of the places we got to visit on our red bus tour was trick falls (or running eagle falls). When we saw the falls it was a single fountain of water pouring out of the side of a cliff wall, if you go in June or early July you have a second set of falls coming over the top of the cliff wall. Come even earlier in the season and the upper falls completely hides the lower falls.
(I should mention...it's hard to set up and carefully photograph waterfalls when you're worried about your daughters drowinging
initialphotography.smugmug.com
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera" - Dorothea Lange