2013 Calendar Images



Garden Wall above Granite Park.

2012 has started nicely for me, with these three images being selected to appear in a 2013 calendar.  I hope there will be many more such stories to share this year!

The first image is from Granite Park in Glacier National Park in Montana.  It was taken on the first day of a 7 day backpack of the North Circle.  The view is looking back along the Garden Wall towards Logan Pass - our starting point.

We were fortunate to catch the flowers in bloom, albeit slightly past their peak in most instances (not all).  Granite Park, Fifty Mountain, Sue Lake Bench and Stoney Indian Lake all presented magnificent meadows in full bloom for us.  Such a treat!

This hike is available as a day hike as well for those not wishing to commit to an extended stay.  The Highline Trail along the Garden Wall can be hiked to Granite Park and back to Logan Pass, or as a one-way trip by doing The Loop and catching the park shuttle back up to Logan Pass.

Either way, it makes for a fantastic trip!

Haystack Falls

The second image is also from Glacier National Park, though a different trip.

Haystack Falls is located along the Going-to-the-Sun Road as it nears Logan Pass.  It's a beautiful waterfall that catches the eye of most motorists as they pass.  The cascade is framed by brick work as the road crosses the stream.

Care should be taken here if choosing to photograph the waterfall.  This area has a high volume of traffic for most of the day and turnouts are limited.  The best parking is a short walk away, and involves carefully walking the road back to the falls.  I recommend visiting in late afternoon when most people have returned to their campsite for dinner.  In fact, that is exactly when I took this image!

Another important consideration is to know the scheduled road closures for Going-to-the-Sun Road for road repair work.  I believe the work is scheduled to last through 2013.  Haystack Falls is beyond the gate and not accessible once the closure takes place.

To view more images from this wonderful park, including additional images of Granite Park and Haystack Falls, you may view my Glacier National Park Gallery.

Elowah Falls.

The final image is from a little closer to my home.  It's of Elowah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Oregon.

Elowah Falls is approached via a short hike from the John B. Yeon trailhead.  It's about 0.75 miles to the falls on a pleasant forest trail.  It can easily be combined with Upper McCord Creek Falls.

Elowah Falls is located in a large basin, offering many different compositions of the falls.  Much time can be spent here, and should be.  One can include the bridge, shown here, or use many other possible foregrounds, including rocks in the stream or plentiful vegetation.

I recommend combining this hike with visits to Latourell Falls, Multnomah Falls, Ponytail Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Wahkeena Falls and more!  There is a lot to see in the Columbia River Gorge, and one can easily spend a full day doing so.  Don't forget Beacon Rock and Stonehenge on the Washington side!

You can view more images of Elowah Falls, as well as many other waterfalls of this area in my Columbia River Gorge Gallery.

Enjoy, and thanks for visiting!

Glacier National Park

Later today I will be leaving for one of my favorite national parks - Glacier National Park in Montana.

Glacier has a very extensive backcountry trail system. I have travelled most of its trails over several visits and have always come back impressed. I can still remember my very first backpacks into Cracker Lake and Gunsight Lake, as well as my last extended backpack over Boulder Pass (pictured above) and into Hole in the Wall. Memories from these trips are plentiful!

For this trip, we will be doing the North Circle - or Highline Trail. We will begin our 7 day backpack at Logan Pass and hike the Garden Wall to Granite Park. We will then continue on to Fifty Mountain before starting the most interesting part of our trip - climbing over the shoulder of Mt. Kipp and descending the Chaney Glacier to Sue Lake Bench for a remote backcountry camp. From there it is on to Stoney Indian Pass before descending the Belly River Valley to Elizabeth Lake. Finally, we will climb to Ptarmigan Tunnel and end our trip at Many Glacier. We also hope to summit a handful of peaks along the way.

I will be joined by my friend Greg, whom I met last year during a climb of Bonanza Peak in the North Cascades. Greg and I really hit it off on that trip and I am excited to be able to spend time with him again while doing what we love - hiking and climbing!

Wish us luck, and hopefully I will be able to share accounts of a successful trip upon our return!

Edit: The Highline Trail is a mere section of the North Circle, which is also comprised of the Stony Indian Pass Trail, Ptarmigan Trail and Garden Wall Trail.