| St. Mary Lake and Wild Goose Island. Glacier National Park 2006. |
glacier in summer is like spring anywhere else!
Accessible wilderness. A lot of places seem to offer this impossible, yet fascinating fantasy, but Glacier National Park in Montana actually delivers! Last year's workshop there was the best workshop of 2006 and there were some great ones in a outstanding year!
George Bird Grinnell, considered the father of Glacier National Park said in 1901 "Far away in northwestern Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain-peaks, lies an unmapped corner-- the Crown of the Continent."
Glacier workshop/exdedition 2007
Glacier N.P. is hard to get to but well worth the time. Two small but major cities make a trip there in most cases, a one day flight from most places in the U.S. Hubs in Salt Lake City and Denver have access to both Great Falls and Kalispell Montana. Depending on which side of the park you will be based or where you would like to start, either of these cities will do with Great Falls offering the most in amenities and history. This is Lewis & Clark territory!
Our workshop begins in Kalispell Montana. Our workshops are different!
There are so many areas of this vast park that deciding how to see and photograph comes down to a personal and physical choice. A workshop there is a dream but not one that is easily planned. Our F/8 And Be There workshops are different in both approach and execution. We take advantage of all an area has to give. Time is allotted with special interests in mind. Time is in short supply even working from well before sunrise until after sunset, sometimes with little more than meal breaks during the day!
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| Two Medicine Lake in the pre-dawn. A 2 minute exposure in the dark to "scout" the composition reveals clouds, and without shadow, casts an erie glow! |
One of the best features of this magnificent location is that summer is the time to do a workshop here. It's spring in most of the park then! Temperatures are usually mild although anything can happen. This is a place where snow can, and does fly every month of the year, but summer is the only real mild season. From shorts to thermals, the temperatures vary during very long ... long days. This is as far north as you go in the lower 48 states and sunsets this time of year are around 10 PM with sunrises around 6 AM! Participants come back with hundreds., sometimes thousands of frames in 5 days of shooting!
Locations ... What and where we shoot:
The key to the classic images of the park are its lakes. The two biggest and most accessible are St. Mary to the east and McDonald to the west. The park is divided by the Continental Divide and the difference between the "two sides" is quite dramatic. The west side is the "quiet side" while the east usually has high winds and a lot more volatile weather. Having said this, a trip from one side to the other over the Going to the Sun highway takes only a couple of hours depending on time of day. For a lot of park visitors this road is all that they see. Some think that this IS the park! Although this can be true, our workshop uses this route mostly for sight-seeing and as means from one shooting setup to another during the day However it a lot more than that.
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| International borders are crossed visually in Glacier N. P. Here Canada is viewed in the distance. |
The engineering marvel that is the Going to the Sun road is a highlight and not to be missed! Sure, it can be argued environmentally but no matter the point of view, it is amazing! As of 1911, the closest road to Glacier from the west ended in Coram, a long 8 miles outside Belton which is just outside the park on the west. That same year a road linked Midvale (East Glacier) with the nation's highway system. The only road inside the Park back then was a washed out wagon trail connecting Belton to the small town of Apgar, at the foot of Lake McDonald. Apgar Village is now the main visitor area on west side of park. The history of the road itself adds to the folklore of the area. Opening and dedication ceremonies were held on July 15, 1933. Horace Albright, director of the Park Service sent along a message ending with the simple request, "Let there be no competition of other roads with the Going-to-the-Sun Highway. It should stand supreme and alone." It has through the years and driving, or at times creeping, the road is a joy that adds to the experience of the workshop.
Five days is only enough time to touch the basic photography locations. Sunrises on the major lakes are always an inspiration. Timing is everything! The west side lakes of McDonald, Bowman and Kintla are usually quiet and the wind less of problem than the eastern lakes of St. Mary, Two Medicine and Swiftcurrent. However, except for Lake McDonald, which has many turnouts along the road but heavy crowds usually, the west lakes are accessible only with long drives on dirt roads that sometimes require four wheel drive . These areas are so different in terrain and photographic opportunity I find it difficult, if not impossible to compare in any way.
Kintla Lake is a beautiful lake that lies in the remote and wild northwest corner of Glacier National Park. Boating or hiking into Canada and Waterton N. P. can be done from here. Stretching for seven miles in length and up to a mile wide, Bowman lake sits in a deep bowl surrounded by thick forests and towering mountains. Lake McDonald is the largest lake in Glacier National Park. With a length of 10 miles in length and more than a mile in width, Lake McDonald, which lies in a giant bowl, is, surrounded by thickly forested, towering mountains. On a calm day, which occurs fairly frequently in the mornings and evenings, the mirrored reflection of the mountains in the lake provides many classic photo images. Based at the beautiful and historic Glacier Park Lodge, on the east side of the park for our workshop, these lakes take time to reach but are well worth the effort and the time that our long days present!
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| Day hikes are a feature of our workshop. Hidden Lake at sunset tells the Glacier story. |
Since Two Medicine Lake lies on the east side of the continental divide, in the southeast section of Glacier National Park, windy conditions on the lake are common. Patience and persistence are key if a reflection is to be found. We usually try our hand here at sunrise more than once! Swiftcurrent Lake is different from other lakes in Glacier National Park. It lies in the exceptionally scenic Many Glacier Valley. The Lake itself is beautiful, surrounded by towering, snow-capped peaks. The water is crystal clear and remains cool all summer long. The historic lodge located on its shore adds to the dramatic impact at dawn. It's an image that we often try to make! St. Mary Lake with steeply rising peaks on three sides is found at the eastern edge of the park on the Going to the Sun road. Classic images that most see as "Glacier" are made in this area. It is easily reached from the lodge.
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| Spring takes place in mid-summer in the high country |
See workshop participant images
The Lodge ... Where we stay.
Our workshop is based at the rustic historic and beautiful Glacier Park Lodge. With summer days being long and taking advantage of this remote location, the workshop will have time to relax and enjoy what little "down time" there might be on this exciting trip. Located on the eastern gateway of Glacier National Park in East Glacier Park, MT, Glacier Park Lodge and Resort is a western theme lodge along the main line of the Burlington Northern Railroad. Huge Douglas fir pillars that are over 40 feet high and 40 inches in diameter form the supports in the impressive lobby that welcomes you to the Lodge. The Blackfeet Indians, awed by the size of the timbers called it "Omahkoyis", or Big Tree Lodge. On the grounds are a restaurant, a small mercantile and gift shop. When we are there, the food is good, the lodge comfortable and the surroundings breath taking. Sunrise and sunset photography can be done from the lodge balconies!
Hikes ... Where we are likely to go to shoot.
There are many choices to be made depending on timing, weather and bear conditions. We have done these photo/day hikes in the past:
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| Mountain goats are abundant in the park. Sheep are found in the high country also. |
Grinell Lake.
This trail visits a glacier-fed lake at the base of a stunning waterfall. The lake is reached most easily by taking a tour boat across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. More adventurous hikers can walk through a spectacular mountain landscape past these two lakes to reach the upper boat dock and hook up with the Grinnell Lake Trail.
Iceberg Lake
Iceberg Lake is a striking, aquamarine tarn surrounded on three sides by towering cliffs. Ice-out may not occur here until mid-July, and the bergs for which the lake was named may be seen floating about well after that date. This stunning destination plus the brilliant wildflowers along the route make the Iceberg Lake Trail one of the most popular hikes in the park. It crosses fine grizzly bear habitat, and bears are seen frequently on the open slopes on both sides of the trail.
Sun Point Nature Trail
This short trek offers excellent views of St. Mary Lake, with a stunning waterfall at the end of the hike. It is a self-guiding nature trail with pamphlets available at the beginning of the trail.
Hidden Butte
The trail to Hidden Lake provides some of the quickest access to high alpine country in Glacier National Park. It starts as a boardwalk, climbing moderately through fields of wildflowers above the Logan Pass Visitor Center. It tops out at Hidden Lake Pass in the shadow of Mount Clements. From the pass, Mount Reynolds dominates the southern skyline, while Bearhat Mountain rises on the far side of islet-strewn Hidden Lake. About 0.3 mile farther is an overlook point, from which the trail descends almost 700 feet to the north shore of the lake.
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| Wildlife, landscape and nature. Glacier has it all! | Water seems to be everywhere . |
Five days in this remote wilderness is little time enough to capture thoughts, ideas and compositions. You'll be amazed at what you will see and the volume of frames you'll come back with! We cover a great deal of the park both by vehicle and foot. Days blur together as we work and play hard. We are up and out before sunrise and back sometimes hours after sunset. The rewards are vast and the memories and friendships linger from year, to passing year.
Register for this workshop today!
Read what others say and be a part of this year's expedition and workshop in July!
For more info please e-mail Steve Kossack or telephone Steve at 1-928-634-8071