Third Try's a Charm

I had to take a couple steps back to come up with the start to the story of this particular photo objective. It started with a video I saw about moonbows at Yellowstone National Park, a rainbow-like phenomenon that occurs with the mist from a waterfall under a full moon.  In the spring of 2013, I had recently heard about this phenomenon, just as a full moon was coming out over Whistler. I had also heard from a friend about a secret path you could take to reach the bottom of Brandywine Falls, and enjoy the view from the bottom. Equipped with a vague description of how to find the trail, my friends and I headed out with our cameras, a couple beers, and high hopes. As soon as we reached the lookout for the falls, we saw there was no moonbow to be seen. However, that didn't stop our curiosity of what the falls would look like from the bottom. Finding this secret trail proved difficult, especially in the dark, but after an hour we finally reached the bottom of the falls. Still no moonbow, but the falls were illuminated by the moon and awesome; as in, awe-inspiring. Although some hazy clouds had rolled in, I could tell the north star was just above the falls, meaning this viewpoint had potential for a great star trail. That night I snapped the first shot from this story.

After we made it home, I made it a personal ambition to capture a star trail from this place, combining the rotational star trails around Polaris and the beauty of Brandywine Falls. About a month later, we caught a patch of very nice, warm, clear days and nights. This time I opted to make a solo mission down to the falls, which proved to be extremely scary and unnerving, as bears were starting to wake up and search for food. This time I didn't account for the fact that the heat had sped up the alpine melt, and the falls were gushing. I couldn't get nearly as close as I wanted, so I compromised on my angle and thought I would experiment with a single frame star trail (the second image in this story). My lens also got coated in mist from the waterfall, so the image came out with a mysterious fog to it.

I came home from the second mission a little defeated, and vowed to come back in the fall when the river would be running much slower and I could get closer to the falls. Finally the conditions aligned and I ventured down with my friend and amazing photographer Reuben Krabbe. We got down, set up, and I ran my camera for an hour while he experimented with various angles and techniques. When I got home and finally compiled the star trail image I was quite pleased with the result. A couple lofty ideas, juvenile ambition, and 4 months later, I finally got the image I was looking for.

Callaghan Lake by Canoe

With my girlfriend recovering from a broken foot, we couldn't go for any extravagant hikes, so we decided to travel by paddle instead. We cruised up the Callaghan Valley to Callaghan Lake for an overnight camping mission.  Arriving at the lake, we found that the campsites were right on the side of the dirt road, with minimal tree coverage - not quite as serene a setting as we were hoping for. We soon learned, however, that there was a camping spot across the lake that was quite nice. So, we packed all our gear and loaded it into the canoe, and a rubber dingy which we tied to the canoe, and set off for our new destination. Callaghan Lake is pretty large, and makes for quite an enjoyable paddle. We eventually made it to our new home for the evening; an extremely small patch of beach at the trailhead to Cirque Lake (a hike which I will soon return for).  After setting up camp, we went for another paddle on the lake, and then took a mellow stroll on the hiking trail, checking out the beautiful streams that flow from Cirque Lake into the Callaghan.  We were about 4 nights post-full moon, so after dinner and a short nap we headed out onto the lake again for a moonlit paddle. Waking up well-rested and feeling like we escaped the "bubble" (if only temporarily), we headed back across the lake and back to real life.

Wedgemount Lake - September 2010

An oldie but a goodie, I had to look back to some earlier photos for this story. I hiked Wedge the first summer I moved to Whistler, and although I haven't been back since, I plan to get there again soon. Wedgemount is a gruelling hike. It has the intensity of the Grouse Grind without the brevity. Over 12km, you climb 1220 metres (do the math, it's a steep grade!), climbing through thick forest, sub-alpine meadows, and finally to reach Wedgemount Lake, nestled amongst Mt Moe, Mt Weart, Rethel Mtn, Parkhurst Mtn, Wedge Mtn, and Lesser Wedge. The lake is fed by the Wedgemount Glacier, and as such is freezing cold. Once the lake has been reached, hikers can camp either on provided campsites or stay in the cabin which is also right on the lake. From there, there are multiple mountain peaks to summit (mentioned above), as well as the beautiful glacier to explore. You will find markings showing the glacier's recession over the years.

As mentioned above, the hike is a very steep one. If the climb isn't for the weak of heart, then the descent isn't for the weak-kneed. Take your time going down to avoid over-stressing your knees!

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Rainbow Lake - September 2011

Rainbow Lake is a great Whistler hike, with the more common trailhead lying on Alta Lake Road. From there, you travel between Mt Sproatt and Rainbow Mountain, ascending via Twentyone Mile Creek, passing Rainbow Falls along the way to reach the beautiful Rainbow Lake. This particular day, however, my friend Taylor and I decided to achieve the same destination via a road less travelled, the Madeley Trail. This route begins in the Callaghan Valley, right beside Madeley Lake. The trail is not very well maintained, and involves a little bit of bushwhacking and route finding, bringing you up to Hanging Lake and then Rainbow Lake. A great way to execute this journey (and our original intention) would be as a one-way venture from Madeley back to Alta Lake Road, but it requires 2 vehicles with good clearance and 4 wheel drive, as we soon found out. Realizing that Taylor's car wouldn't have been able to get back to my truck, we were forced to return the way we came, which was still quite enjoyable.[gallery link="file"]

Joffre Lakes - September 2012

Joffre Lakes is a classic, I tend to go there every year. This was my third venture up (a couple of keepers from previous trips are shown in this gallery as well), and this time, we brought our friends Ryan and Becky for their first overnight hike. Starting from the Duffy, the hike begins at a decent elevation, and along the way you pass 3 different glacial lakes, each one seemingly more blue than the previous. The second lake has some great fishing as well, and everyone was able to snag a pretty rainbow. Taking our good friends out into the backcountry for their first time, we didn't want to disappoint, so dinner consisted of orzo cooked with fresh basil and parmesan along with hot italian sausages and red wine, followed by chocolate for dessert. At night, Ryan and I did some light painting photography, and I snapped a star trail (can be seen on my gallery page). The next day we walked up to a nice rock for breakfast before making the mellow stroll down, finishing with a delicious burger and beer at the Pony in Pemberton before getting back to Whistler. [gallery link="file"]

Black Tusk - August 2012

The Black Tusk in Garibaldi Park is an iconic trail for any avid hiker in BC, as it can be seen from many places along the sea-to-sky corridor. It offers many options, from a simple day-hike to multi-day adventures with many campsites in the surrounding area. We decided to enjoy the scenery, and started off in Cheakamus on a 3-day excursion.  Our first night we camped at the Helm Creek campground, where we met some other hikers for a good game of frisbee. The next day saw beautiful meadows as well the great views from the top of Panorama Ridge. After the Ridge, we started climbing towards the Tusk, and although we had originally hoped to camp right on top of it, our doubts overcame and we settled for camping at the base. This led to a beautiful sunrise and an early climb of the Tusk at 6am. Our third day was a leisurely one, strolling a mere 5km from the Tusk to Garibaldi Lake, where we enjoyed a much-deserved swim and a starry night. Overall, an epic 4-day hike.

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