2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Glacier presents some great photographic opportunities, talk about it here.

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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by PeteE »

Here are a few more pics from yesterday from Huckleberry Mt.
Nothing epic, just some nice snaps :)

The trail had bits of snow all the way to the trail head. The Huckleberry Mt trail is a really nice hiking trail albeit a long(ish) one.
The elevation gain is modest all the way to within a 1/4 mile of the top.(see pic later on the last 1/4mile)
No steep pitches, it just winds inexorably up until you reach the small pass to the north side of the ridge.
The next 1 1/2 miles after the pass are virtually "flat" with great views of the Livingston range.

These next two were taken in the afternoon on the way down.
Image

I missed the best light on these larches. Light changes rapidly and I couldn't get my camera out fast enough :(
Image

This is a "hand held" 3 image pano made about 50 yards after crossing the pass...4.6 miles from the trailhead.
Views like this are abundant for the next mile and a half on the "flat" part of the trail.
Image

Taken from farther around on the flat part.
Image

Don't get too engrossed in the great views and stumble. The trail is very narrow in many places.
You may not fall a long way, but it's really nasty terrain below the trail.
Image

The flat part ends a little before this shot of the last leg up to the lookout.
It wasn't much fun yesterday slogging up through the snow. Windy and cold.
Image

I should have some more "snaps" to post that I took with my phone.

On the drive back to Apgar I could see the light on the mountains on the far end of Lake McDonald was really good.
There's no place on the Camas road to get a good picture--too many dead trees ruin it for pics imo.
So I got to the boat ramp as fast as I could, but missed the best light. :(

Image
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by al_in_al »

That shot from the boat ramp is great - certainly grabbed my attention. Liked the snowy lookout pictures, too.
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by TnTammy »

The snow makes everything look so crisp and fresh....I bet it was "fresh" up high with that wind blowin'!
Heckuva a good effort getting up there Pete!! That's some stout elevation and miles.
Enjoyed the Livingston Range.
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by Jay w »

I was thinking the snow covered peaks in the distance must look awesome, but not translate to an image well. And then I was surprised you're hiking in snow. Nice shots. It's very cool you're getting out so much this year.

We stayed in the camper last night and woke up to light snow. That was surprising too. I was replacing rotted siding on a barn as some payback for storage, and the wind made it damn cold to be working outside. Paint dries slow around freezing. Got 'er done and put the camper away for the season. (In a large shed with a cover and stinky stuff both on the ground and inside.)

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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by PeteE »

Jay w wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:17 pm I was thinking the snow covered peaks in the distance must look awesome, but not translate to an image well.

Was it that obvious in something I said somewhere above? You're right though.
The mountains, the whole scene was awesome to behold.

There's something about these fantastic( a very poor adjective) vistas when you see them "in person". I really can't describe the feeling in words.
You have to be there as "they" say. That said, I knew straight away I wasn't going to get the images I wanted.
Had I got there a couple hours earlier--maybe.

When I reached the little pass and could see most of the view east of the lookout, I was disappointed.
The sky was a beautiful blue.
The clouds were still mostly white, puffy cumulus clouds...but there were too many. I could see as the hours passed they would build along the divide. There was another front on the way. That's why I did the hike Thursday. It would likely be the last good day before this current round of snow days coming...like now.
Weather and the atmosphere can change rapidly in the mountains, especially along the Continental Divide.
And sure nuff, it did.



And then I was surprised you're hiking in snow.
I'm ok hiking in the snow. I do it more in the spring, but as long as I'm prepared, I'm good.
Winter is why I got into Xcountry skiing. :)

I hiked up to Huckleberry lookout in November not long ago. There was snow and some ice after the pass, but nothing like this trip. It was also much colder this time.
I did prepare for it though. I always do since I go alone. I carry more "stuff" because one never knows what one may need if things go South. I wore multiple light layers, and had a Patagonia quilted fake down hoody, light and heavy gloves, food, First Aid kit, compass, whistle in my pack. Bear spray, Microspikes,and Emergency beacon clipped on outside. Liter of water...I take hiking alone seriously, whatever anyone here thinks. 8)
Never mind small tripod with my heavy leveling head---22+ pounds


Nice shots. Thank you. I'm trying.

It's very cool you're getting out so much this year.
I need to go as often as I can and as hard as I can go. I'll be 73 in February. I can't squander the days I have left. Ya know? 8)


We stayed in the camper last night and woke up to light snow. That was surprising too. I was replacing rotted siding on a barn as some payback for storage, and the wind made it damn cold to be working outside. Paint dries slow around freezing. Got 'er done and put the camper away for the season. (In a large shed with a cover and stinky stuff both on the ground and inside.)

Why is your camper storage so far away? Don't you worry about security?

Jay
I have some video and a few more pics to post from my new "geezer phone", a Jitterbug phone! Hey it's $44.99/month for unlimited talk and text plus 250Megs of data.
The video might give some clues/insight to my frustration on that hike.


Later

and THANKS Jay...and everyone out there.
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by ND »

I always like the trails with the big panoramic views, BUT the first photo of the trail caught my eye.
I’m no fan of hiking in the woods, however I liked the curvature of the trees, the bit of snow along the trail, and the contrast between the trail and the deep green foliage. One more thing, the trail as a leading line disappearing into the forest sets the mood for me.
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by PeteE »

Here is some video, using that term video very loosely, from my Huckleberry hike.
My new phone sucks at making videos. I'll have to go back to carrying my old Sony camcorder.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-NDj ... h-1920.mp4

Here's another pano.
When I get the other panos up, you'll see that the Huckleberry Lookout has really great views in nearly every direction.
That's probably why it's a "lookout", you reckon? 8)
It's a hike well worth the effort on a nice day.
I wouldn't do it on a lousy day...unless of course you're a masochist. 8)
There is NO water on this trail. So carry sufficient water, especially in the summer heat.

Taken from the south side of the lookout.
This one looks approximately SSE around to SSW.
Fortunately, the sun was behind a cloud since the camera was pointed right at the sun on the right side pics.

On the far left you can see the trail as it traverses around the "false summit" as I called it.
Lower right is looking down stream of the North Fork. Flathead Lake is a sliver of white in the distance.
The Flathead Valley is below the lake. Columbia Mt is just left of the lake sliver.
Image

I'm having some problems with Lightroom. I should have one or two more panos later.

pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by TamandKev »

Pete,
Wow! The fall colors are so beautiful! I especially liked the photos you posted from the Huckleberry Lookout trail, the fresh snow on the mountains, and the golden trees on the road to Kintla. Although we have tried to visit different times of year and we’ve certainly seen beautiful scenery every time, we always seem to get our fair share of rainy days, smoke, haze and road closures. Our two weeks in the park a year does not begin to capture all the photo opportunities or changing seasons. That’s why we appreciate you so much. Thank you for taking time to drive the roads, hike the hikes and edit and share your photos with us. It really lifts our spirit when we check the updates and see your new photography posted. Seeing you post them is even more special to us because we know you as a fellow hiker and friend. :D :arrow: Keep up the great work! Be safe out there!
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by PeteE »

ND wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:17 am I always like the trails with the big panoramic views, BUT the first photo of the trail caught my eye.
I’m no fan of hiking in the woods, however I liked the curvature of the trees, the bit of snow along the trail, and the contrast between the trail and the deep green foliage. One more thing, the trail as a leading line disappearing into the forest sets the mood for me.
Thanks Ken. Glad you liked that trail shot. The same features you mentions caught my eye too. I was also drawn to the color of the trail highlighted by the snow along side.

I've gotten some ideas from Fototripper's friend Adam Gibbs forest/tree images.
I love Fototripper's YouTube videos with Adam and Gavin's "stalker" girlfriend Amanda.
Great comic relief from the serious business of photography!
:arrow:


EDIT ADD 10/18
Here is another guy, Nigel Danson, who has good ideas and advice for woodland photography.
He's a very bright guy. PhD in the very esoteric field lens coatings. He KNOWS his stuff about how
light works. This video was published today on YouTube.



Here's a video published today from Adam Gibbs, another guy I like.

TamandKev wrote: Sat Oct 17, 2020 7:40 pm Pete,
Wow! The fall colors are so beautiful! I especially liked the photos you posted from the Huckleberry Lookout trail, the fresh snow on the mountains, and the golden trees on the road to Kintla. Although we have tried to visit different times of year and we’ve certainly seen beautiful scenery every time, we always seem to get our fair share of rainy days, smoke, haze and road closures. Our two weeks in the park a year does not begin to capture all the photo opportunities or changing seasons. That’s why we appreciate you so much. Thank you for taking time to drive the roads, hike the hikes and edit and share your photos with us. It really lifts our spirit when we check the updates and see your new photography posted. Seeing you post them is even more special to us because we know you as a fellow hiker and friend. :D :arrow: Keep up the great work! Be safe out there!
Thank you too Tammy. Say HI to Kevin for me.
I tend to forget sometimes just how lucky I am to live next door to Glacier Park.
And so I feel a little guilty about whining about the cold, getting up early, long hike, blah blah. :roll:
However, at the end of the day, everyone's compliments make it all worthwhile.
I'm glad we finally were able to get together out at Granite Park Chalet this year. And you too Craig! :D
Not to worry. I'm going to keep on keepin' on until I can't.


Looks like the Flathead Valley may get its first measurable snow tonight and Sunday.
I sure hope we have a good snow year. Last year sucked for snow. I only got in a few days of xcountry skiing.


pete :wink:
Last edited by PeteE on Sun Oct 18, 2020 11:27 am, edited 2 times in total.
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by PeteE »

I've been watching a lot of YouTube photographers the last few months.
Some are very good and I've gotten many useful ideas from them.
The young gal, Kim Grant, in this short clip from the end of one of her videos may not be the best photographer.
However, I like her attitude as expressed in the clip. And her Scottish accent is to die for. :D
I would give anything to get back to the NW coast Scotland to do some hiking and photography.
The scenery of Northern Scotland's shoreline and coastal mountains is absolutely STUNNING!
And the people are really the best.

I can identify with much of what Kim says in this 2 minute clip.


The complete video is here. I love her enthusiasm :D


pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by crh24 »

Pleasure meeting you, as well, Pete, during our stay at Granite Park this year. I look fondly back at my couple days at Granite Park with Tammy, Kevin, and yourself. I will be coming back to Glacier in 2021 focusing on the East Side, for 12 days...perhaps our paths will cross.

As I mentioned, I look daily at the GNP Photography page. Your bad pictures are better than my good pictures. I enjoy your videos as well, e.g., the hike up to the Huckleberry Lookout and your encounter with the Pika and folks on the Highline. I went up to Huckleberry Lookout on my 2020 trip and really enjoyed it. I think there was one switchback and that was it. I found the climb to be nice and gradual. Of course, the view is wonderful. What really made it special was meeting the fire tower lookout, Elizabeth. She spent much time pointing out peaks, Mt Brown and Swiftcurrent, for example. I asked her about Thoma, Hornet, Cyclone, Numa, and GlacierView(Demers). She was amp'ed that I researched and knew of such places and spent oodles of time pointing them out (while social distancing). I also helped with the 10:00AM weather report: I said 30% cloud cover, she said 10%, so she split the difference and reported 20%. It seemed the lookout folks got on a 10AM daily call to report weather conditions. We traded mobile #'s and texted for the next couple of days. I carried a Birthday card down to the West Glacier post office, too, for Elizabeth. Elizabeth suggested I do the Nasukoin hike in the Whitefish range - supposedly a great hike.

Your Huckleberry pictures remind me of the Tuesday after Labor Day, that I hiked to Scalplock, albeit there wasn't quite as much snow. Of course, it snowed Labor Day and the GTTSR didn't reopen until 2/3 PM the day after Labor Day. It was cold up at Scalplock (24 degrees), but the views were awesome with the snow capped mountains. Jake, the fire lookout at Scalplock was oh so chatty and friendly pointing out peaks and various mountain ranges. Just great. The morning was crisp and clear. Of course, the panoramic view to the north is wonderful. Although, Great Northern and Grant Glacier to the south looked really pretty - and I am told Great Northern is a great hike, too, per Jake.

...never did the Loneman nor Harrison Lake... I did some reconnaissance and found the trailheads for the Loneman and Harrison Lake, as well as the fording area of the Middle Fork. Perhaps next year if the water level is okay. If you recall, you recommended the Columbian Mtn Trail. I never made it there. Instead I did the Siyeh Loop in reverse, e.g., I parked at the Jackson Glacier overlook, walked down to Sunrift Gorge, and then hiked Siyeh up Sunrift Gorge and then down into Preston Park and back to the Jackson Glacier overlook.

Thank you for posting. I am waiting to see if you run across Bonnie and Clyde this year....

BTW, I have a Tripadvisor friend named "Deb R." She is from Billings and is a Yellowstone Destination Expert. I met Deb while at Roosevelt Lodge in 2019 at Yellowstone. Anyhow, she was telling me you bought and mailed her an ALPS tent that you bought for her in Whitefish. She mentioned that you mailed it to her prior to her even paying you. Anyhow, small world...

-Craig
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by calicotraveler »

Here is some video, using that term video very loosely, from my Huckleberry hike.
My new phone sucks at making videos. I'll have to go back to carrying my old Sony camcorder.
I know what you mean about using your camera for videos. I came to the same conclusion. Hard to see what you are recording as screen is dark when outside and using the zoom stinks. I no longer use my phone for videos.

That said, I enjoyed your video! I've never done this hike and it was nice to see what it is like. Beautiful views from the lookout! Thanks for posting.
The mountains are calling and I must go.
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by PeteE »

Craig :)

It was really great fun to have met you "randomly" out on the Highline trail....and then all the fun stuff that happened later on.
And now you brought even more of it in your post.
I met Jake, the Scalplock fire lookout when I climbed Elk Mt.!! :D
It was a real pleasure chatting with him up on Scalplock. Talk about "fit". He does Elk Mt. for "fun"! :shock:
Thank you for posting. I am waiting to see if you run across Bonnie and Clyde this year....

I'm sad to report that I believe Clyde may have died. :cry:
I haven't seen Clyde in months. I have seen Bonnie as recently as a couple weeks ago.
She was sitting on my truck one day when I came back from the dock area at lake McDonald Lodge.
She's very skittish, but she did recognize me. I saw a second raven out there the same day, but I'm almost certain it wasn't Clyde.
Had it been Clyde, I'm sure he would have flown down to me. I may get out to the park today after work. If so I'll check on them.


BTW, I have a Tripadvisor friend named "Deb R." She is from Billings and is a Yellowstone Destination Expert. I met Deb while at Roosevelt Lodge in 2019 at Yellowstone. Anyhow, she was telling me you bought and mailed her an ALPS tent that you bought for her in Whitefish. She mentioned that you mailed it to her prior to her even paying you. Anyhow, small world...

It is indeed a small world isn't it? :D Deb is a good gal and brings news of Yellowstone to us here on the chat.
Her grandson Braedon has become a first rate photographer over the years. He had a clip on TV recently of a grizzly bear in Yellowstone.
Ha! I had forgotten about the tent I got for Deb! :) She was looking for a tent about the same time I was(2012?). Sportsmans SkiHaus had a sale going on. The Alps tents were on sale 1/2 price. So I got Deb one when I got mine and sent it to her. I still have mine and use it when car camping.
Stay in touch Craig. We'll do some good hiking on the East Side next year. There's some super hiking over there that I know you'll enjoy.

best
Pete :wink:
calicotraveler wrote: Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:30 pm
Here is some video, using that term video very loosely, from my Huckleberry hike.
My new phone sucks at making videos. I'll have to go back to carrying my old Sony camcorder.
I know what you mean about using your camera for videos. I came to the same conclusion. Hard to see what you are recording as screen is dark when outside and using the zoom stinks. I no longer use my phone for videos.

That said, I enjoyed your video! I've never done this hike and it was nice to see what it is like. Beautiful views from the lookout! Thanks for posting.

As always, you're quite welcome Michele!
Yeah, I need to go back to using my old Sony camcorder. It's 8 years old but still working. 8)
I'll take it with me today when I go to the park to check on B&C.
Looks like a rain and snow mix today, so we'll see.
later


pete
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by PeteE »

Craig wondered about Bonnie and Clyde so yesterday I went out to Lake McDonald Lodge to check on them.
It was a pretty miserable day however I did manage to see Bonnie, but no Clyde. :(
I'm pretty sure Clyde is probably dead either killed by a predator, or maybe just "old age".
There was a second raven who seemed to hang around Bonnie. He/she wouldn't come near me so I highly doubt it was Clyde.
I was happy that Bonnie recognized me and Jaybird

It was really sad to see her sitting in a tree in the rain near the store when I drove through the parking lot a second time.
She flew over to the big parking area after I parked there.
Here's some video from yesterday. You'll get a glimpse of Bonnie at the end.

Runs about 8 minutes
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-B8h ... X-1920.mp4

The road was open again to Avalanche so I drove out to just look around. The parking area on the GTTS road was full despite it was raining pretty hard at times. During a couple lulls in the rain, I stopped at two of the overlooks for a few shots and video.


From the overlook just before Lake McDonald Lodge
Image

Image

These three are from an overlook deck on the way back from Avalanche. The creek level is way down.
I'd like to come back on a nice day to get some pictures of the carved out rock. There's also good compositions in the stream bed too.
Like Avalanche, the hollowed out places in the rock are only visible when the creek levels are at their lowest.

Image

Looking upstream from the deck
Image

Looking downstream from the deck
Image
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Re: 2020 "Snaps" Around Glacier National Park

Post by PeteE »

Here is another pano from the Huckleberry Mt. hike on October 15th. It's a monster of a pano.
It's composed of 13 separate images stitched together in PTgui a new program I bought.
Ptgui is designed specifically for making panographic images.
I was a bit puzzled when I couldn't import the image into Photoshop. Come to find out the image was too large! :shock:
Photoshop can't handle an image with a dimension greater than 30,000 pixels.
The original pano from PTgui is 39,234 X 11,461 pixels :shock:
After reducing the length to 15,000pixels in Luminar4, I was then able to import the image into Photoshop Elements.
I then resized it to 29,000 x 7,558 pixels with the resolution set to 240pixels per inch.
Were it actually printed at those specs, the print would be huge 120 inches long and 31 inches high!
The full size image is sharp. I can make out a vehicle on the North Fork road at the very bottom of the image.


The field of view is gigantic. I'd have to check on a map to see how many miles wide it is.
Great Northern Flats can be seen on the extreme lower left.
The back of Glacier View peak is on the extreme lower right.
The snowy area on the lower right if the ridge extending north from the lookout. See the tracks in the snow?
The snowy, treed slope in the lower left corner is part of the ridge to the south of the lookout.
The trail up to the lookout would be just left of that piece.
This picture covers a LOT of real estate. 8)

Image
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

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