Silence engulfed the hallways, nooks, and crannies of the hotel when I woke up. There wasn’t a 24 hour front-desk and most of the lights were shut-off. I felt as a shadow does at night, invisible. As I turned on the car, I was able to see what lay ahead of me for the first time, and I hit the road.
Logan Pass
House Of The Rising Sun
The first pull-off that I took along Going to the Sun road offered a stunning view down the valley back towards where I’d just driven from. I took two longer exposures to get the hints of colors which painted the sky as the sun was slowly but steadily beginning it’s voyage towards the horizon and a wonderful sunrise.
By the time that I got to the pass, there was already a crowd collected watching the beginning of the fireworks. My hands were cold and the lack of a sweatshirt wasn’t helping anything. I took the image that you can see above, before moving slightly right to focus on a copse of trees that offered a good anchor on the entirety of the scene.
Almost immediately after this bit of light and glow flooded the scene it was gone. The clouds wilted away and shed any shade of color for a granite pallet of grays and blacks. This is when my hike began.
The Long And Winding Trail
As I hit the trail there was no visibility into what lay ahead. The crowds of the parking lot were left far behind and I stepped on the gravelly track in the footsteps of countless others who’ve walked the same steps before me and carved a path into the valleys edge.
This procession continued for roughly two and a half miles before light began to hit the valley that lay at my feet, starting at the tips of the mountain and then continuing to work it’s way down. Watching the sun beat out the clouds and climb ever higher, and the mountain tops and spires offer a natural barrier stopping the flow of the clouds, I was treated to a seemingly never-ending spectacle.
After hiking another mile or so, I had passed beyond Haystack Butte and photographed the sun as it began to leave drop after drop of light on the eastern facing slope and contour of the mountain.
After enjoying this for a little while longer, I decided that it was time for me to head home. I hadn’t brought proper food or drink and I was ready to go grab some of each from my car back at the trailhead.
Little did I know that as I’d go back towards the trailhead, I’d get what I consider some of my strongest work of the morning. The first image that fits the criteria is this shot of a lone boulder on the trail. The boulder laden path and the bit of light hitting the hillside not blocked by the spire to my east act as a set of leading lines both pointing the viewers eye towards the mountains and blue-skies to the south.
The rest of the hike continued to be as fruitful.
Retrospective Reflection
This final image is one that I’d scoped out earlier on in my hike. As I had been going into this scene earlier in the day, I knew that this composition would be great to shoot, but when I passed it earlier there wasn’t a bit of light hitting this trail yet. I made sure to watch for it as I trekked back towards the car, and nabbed this shot which I find incredibly satisfying. You’ve probably noticed a running theme (or more aptly put a HIKING theme) and that is that I love photographing the trails I walk.
I’m not sure when I started doing this, but often times I find that the thin paths of a trail as it pierces the trees and brush offer beautifully inviting compositions and scenes to the viewer. Fully transporting you to the point of view I was lucky enough to have had on this morning.
Film
The rest of these images are all shot on Film with my Nikon F5. I hope you enjoy.
As you can see in the next few shots, unfortunately I made a grave error at a following sunrise. I’d forgotten to unwind the film before opening the back of my Film Camera. The light leaks on these images were minimal, especially the left and right-most images. Even the middle image (which of the ones shown here suffered the most from the light-leaks) I actually think isn’t much worse for wear.
I quite like the bits of red that have hit the image. Perfection isn’t always everything in photography and in this scenario, I think it strengthens the image.