Glacier National Park Chat

Hi Pete:

Did you try to snag a reservation at Sperry this year, and if so, have you heard back yet if you landed one? I know you mentioned you hoped to snag a reservation since you were hoping to do Floral Park.

-Craig

indiana hiker wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 3:52 pm Hey Pete, The webcams look like good weather today in the park. ( for a change ) Maybe a chance to start your 2021 photos for all of us that love to visit thru your photos!

Hi Barb
I haven't been out there much due to work and crappy weather.
I did tent camp last night at the Apgar CG after getting some sunset pictures. Some may be pretty good. I'm at work for a bit, then going back out to finish packing my gear. The weather looks like it's going bad again--cloudy. No color this AM when I got up.
I took video of camp and cooking my dinner
Shrimp, brown rice, broccoli, stir fried in butter with avocado oil with shallots and garlic over an open fire. Hot chocolate.
Temp was mid 20's at 9pm and 22.5 this morning.
Turned really well
Later
Pete

crh24 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:04 am Hi Pete:

Did you try to snag a reservation at Sperry this year, and if so, have you heard back yet if you landed one? I know you mentioned you hoped to snag a reservation since you were hoping to do Floral Park.

-Craig

Hi Craig
No Sperry. I think I'm too old and out of shape to do Floral Park. So I got 3 nights again at Granite Park. Sept. 2-4. I'll try for Iceberg Notch-again and hope for no or light wind. Maybe Grinnell or something else too.
Gotta see if the Blackfeet are going to be reasonable about the East Side.
So for now I'm just hanging out.
Gotta have cataract removal surgery, probably in late Feb. or early March.
Sucks but it is what it is, right?
GOOD to hear from you. Stay safe.
Later
Pete

Here's the sunset last night(Jan 14) from the Apgar boat dock beach.
This is a pano from the JPGs, not RAW files. Sharpness is "ok". I would expect a pano done from the RAW/PSD files might be better if printed.

The only processing I did to this 4 image pano is cropping, a slight bit of haze removal, and lighten the shadows just a wee bit.
Otherwise this is how it came from the camera.
CAMERA INFO

Camera Sony ILCA-77M2
Lens DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
Focal Length 45.0 mm (67.0 mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/9.5
Exposure Time 0.125s (1/8)
ISO 200
Date Taken 2021-01-14 17:13:15



Might have a nice one before the sunset but...
Gotta run for a little while.

pete

HEAVENLY!!!

If this were still 2020, it would have been my Favorite Pic of the Year! BUT, given that its 2021, i'll hold your Up&Comings next to this fine example. Absolutely beautiful, Pete....musta been special to see it in person with shrimp dinner and hot chocolate following.

Great KickOff to 2021! Thank You for Sharing.
Tam

Beautiful pano with the pink! Also have to mention you made an excellent dinner! No dehydrated stuff for you. I like the hot chocolate idea....just the thing on a cold evening.

Great sunset picture! I like when the reflection is recognizable, but not crystal clear.

TnTammy wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 5:53 pm HEAVENLY!!!

If this were still 2020, it would have been my Favorite Pic of the Year! BUT, given that its 2021, i'll hold your Up&Comings next to this fine example. Absolutely beautiful, Pete....musta been special to see it in person with shrimp dinner and hot chocolate following.

Great KickOff to 2021! Thank You for Sharing.
Tam

Thank you Ms Tammy
I certainly hope I can live up to your expectations for the coming year! Age is creeping up on me slowly but surely--73 in a few weeks.

Winter tent camping isn't as easy as it was just a few years ago. I was warm enough that night. That said, I wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked.
I don't have a lot of natural "padding" and so I kept having to turn from sleeping on one side to the other.

For those interested...
The ground was frozen solid. I laid my new ground sheet for my tent.
Inside my Big Agnes Copper 2 I wrapped my air mattress in an army wool blanket.
On top of that I had a piece of reflectorix(bubble wrap with mylar on both sides) inside a fleece "sack".
Then slept in my clothes in my OLD REI zero degree goose down sleeping bag. Slept with Baffin booties with chemical foot warmers in them.
So I was plenty warm, just not comfortable. Temp was 22.6F when I woke up.

calicotraveler wrote: ↑Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:06 pm Beautiful pano with the pink! Also have to mention you made an excellent dinner! No dehydrated stuff for you. I like the hot chocolate idea....just the thing on a cold evening.

Thank you too Michele!!
Yeah the shrimp dinner turned out really well. The video of making it is 12 minutes so hope it won't be too boring.
When I'm car camping I try to avoid dehydrated backpacking food if at all possible.
It's not that hard to eat "real food". It just a little longer to prepare, especially when it's dark and cold.
Hot chocolate is better than coffee too under the circumstances.
Thanks again!

McKee80 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:19 am Great sunset picture! I like when the reflection is recognizable, but not crystal clear.

Thank you. The reflection did turn out well. At the time, the reflection didn't look very good, but the camera picked it up well.
Appreciate the comments as always.
Take care and stay safe out there!


pete

Ok, here's how I do a shrimp stir fry on a campfire

A few notes.
And it was avocado oil not olive oil.
I peeled and deveined the shrimp at home.
I changed jackets. Didn't want fire sparks burning holes in my $300 Patagonia down jacket.
Splitting wood, I just barely hit my left index finger with my VERY sharp Gransfors Bruk small forest axe.
Just a slight glancing blow but it cut my finger pretty good.
Gordon, my work mate, is about 6'5"/230lbs. and I'm 6'4"/185lbs. We finally got that sink taken apart but it wasn't easy.

Wow! That photos is absolutely stunning Pete! You've got to start a 2021 "Snaps" page with that one. You are setting the bar quite high for yourself this year

Carol Lynn wrote: ↑Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:54 am Wow! That photos is absolutely stunning Pete! You've got to start a 2021 "Snaps" page with that one. You are setting the bar quite high for yourself this year

Thanks Carol.
Maybe add this 4 image pano to the one above?
This one was taken just 11 minutes before the one above.
Light changes rapidly.


CAMERA INFO
Camera Sony ILCA-77M2
Lens DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
Focal Length 45.0 mm (67.0 mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/9.5
Exposure Time 0.05s (1/20)
ISO 200
Date Taken 2021-01-14 17:02:48

Nice photos

Yes, add that one too! Totally stunning!!!

Winter tent camping isn't as easy as it was just a few years ago. I was warm enough that night. That said, I wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked.
I don't have a lot of natural "padding" and so I kept having to turn from sleeping on one side to the other.

pete

I call that "human rotisserie mode" and I do that when it's the slightest bit cold.

I loved the photo with the pink hues, very special!

Thanks Angela!
Looks like I'll have to get that image printed tomorrow to see how it looks on paper.

I love that "human rotisserie mode" analogy!!
I woke up several times to find my Baffin Boot clad feet all twisted up in the sleeping bag!
Cheers
pete