The magnificent vistas of Glacier in the last week of June were dramatic; sun,
clouds, mists and fog and most impressively, huge waterfalls. A couple of days
of rain and drizzle did not diminish the experience, on the contrary, some of
my favorite photos from this trip would have not been possible in fair and sunny
skies. The Rockies separate the park into the easter and western divides. At
6646 feet, Logan Pass offers the highest point on the famous Road to Sun. The
western divide is forested with no peak breaking
timber line. The eastern side less is treed with more open
vistas of dramatic peaks, I find this type of topography more invigorating
for my camera lens. If you love landscapes, everywhere you look there is a photograph
you want to study. My favorite section of the park is Many Glaciers. There,
I hiked some of the most beautiful trails I have ever seen. I liked the Swiftcurrent
Pass trail to the top of the divide best of all. Thick with flowers, emerald
lakes, hundred of feet high gushing water falls, dramatic walls, wildlife and
snow fields to remind you of altitude....... Now about photography. Most of
my photos where taken with my 12-24 and 24-120 lenses. Although I had the 80-400,
I had few opportunities to use it. I thought I would need the longer tele for
wildlife, it did not work out that way. I found that unless you are lucky and
some critters show up close to the road or camp, long teles are not very usefull
for wildlife photos on a trail hiking/photo type excursion. In Glacier, the
wildlife is either much too far for even the long tele or so fleeting that by
the time you launch the camera with the lens the animal is gone. Of course if
you are lucky, a tele can come in very handy on the trail. I was not lucky,
the magnificent moose I saw ran off the minute we observed each other. In Glacier
the typical landscape lenses, wide and medium zoom, is the way to go.
Weight is also an equipment consideration
when you hike many miles with significant elevation gain . I ended up carrying
my D100 with the 24-120 VR in a Lowpro holster on my chest. Worked great.
The magnificent vistas of Glacier in the last week of June were dramatic; sun,
clouds, mists and fog and most impressively, huge waterfalls. A couple of days
of rain and drizzle did not diminish the experience, on the contrary, some of
my favorite photos from this trip would have not been possible in fair and sunny
skies. The Rockies separate the park into the easter and western divides. At
6646 feet, Logan Pass offers the highest point on the famous Road to Sun. The
western divide is forested with no peak breaking
timber line. The eastern side less is treed with more open
vistas of dramatic peaks, I find this type of topography more invigorating
for my camera lens. If you love landscapes, everywhere you look there is a photograph
you want to study. My favorite section of the park is Many Glaciers. There,
I hiked some of the most beautiful trails I have ever seen. I liked the Swiftcurrent
Pass trail to the top of the divide best of all. Thick with flowers, emerald
lakes, hundred of feet high gushing water falls, dramatic walls, wildlife and
snow fields to remind you of altitude....... Now about photography. Most of
my photos where taken with my 12-24 and 24-120 lenses. Although I had the 80-400,
I had few opportunities to use it. I thought I would need the longer tele for
wildlife, it did not work out that way. I found that unless you are lucky and
some critters show up close to the road or camp, long teles are not very usefull
for wildlife photos on a trail hiking/photo type excursion. In Glacier, the
wildlife is either much too far for even the long tele or so fleeting that by
the time you launch the camera with the lens the animal is gone. Of course if
you are lucky, a tele can come in very handy on the trail. I was not lucky,
the magnificent moose I saw ran off the minute we observed each other. In Glacier
the typical landscape lenses, wide and medium zoom, is the way to go.
Weight is also an equipment consideration
when you hike many miles with significant elevation gain . I ended up carrying
my D100 with the 24-120 VR in a Lowpro holster on my chest. Worked great. 
