Album Your favorite shots from 2015

Not super scenic but one of the most humbling......on our visit taking my Mom to be with my Dad, Arlington National Cemetary.....

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From a canoe trip down the Missouri River in April, I think
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Last light on storm clouds as they approach a monument at a local state park
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Canoeing between storms at a small local lake
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This is a great set of images folks! Really making me feel like my year hasn't been nearly as productive as I had thought earlier hehe.
I managed to get out and tent it for a total of 10 days this year - which was a little less than I had hoped, but work and the entire industry up here has been turned upside down, so having a job and keeping it was a bit more of a priority at the time. I apologize in advance if some of these images are replicated in other spots, also gonna have to have a bit more text since my goal of writing up trip reports and stuff fell flat on its face around my first trip hehe.

First up was early spring and I went exploring through the prairie transition zone near the Badlands of central Alberta. I found this little provincial park one morning, with a heavy frost from the night before the rising sun really started glowing off the branches of the trees.

I0000QhEifEDoVWU.jpg


My first real trip was in mid May, when I ventured out to the Cypress Hills area of SE Alberta. Still haven't gone through all of the images I was able to capture there, but hiking the grass hills and forests was a wonderful break for me. A unique environment in the middle of the prairies for sure, and lots and lots of little tick friends keeping me company ;).

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Summer lent itself well to hiking and exploring, albeit in a mix of conditions. One fine morning along the Icefields parkway I was treated to a cracker of a sunrise in near perfect conditions at the foot of Mt. Chephren.

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I'm also starting to notice a theme in format for my photos this year hehe. But in August I hit the road once again to explore the Mt. Robson area of North Central BC. For those who aren't aware, Mount Robson is the highest mountain peak in the Canadian Rockies. This trip had pretty much everything, super hot afternoons on the first day there, cool evenings, snow, and still one of the best trips I have ever been on. The trail system around Mt. Robson is amazing, and probably some of the best trails I have ever been on.... and that sentiment was shared. with a lot of people. Even the short jog to Kinney Lake was soo packed even spreading out there were groups every 20-50 feet apart the whole hike there and back.

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A few weeks later I felt I finally had hit my groove for these trips, with everything prepared and easily packed into the Mazdadon, I hit the road in September to Fernie BC, an area I had driven through a number of times, but never explored. Definitely didn't pack well enough as the temperatures never peaked above 5* C during the rainy days, but the first mornings sunrise made up for any discomfort I would feel for the remainder of the trip. Walking out of an old growth Cedar forest early in the morning I looked west towards the Lizard Range and saw this scene.

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The fog created by the frost from the night before was limited to the valley here. 6 km further up the trail when you crest the first ridge of the valley and everything was clear.
My annual trip out to visit my in laws which usually coincides with fall colours in Southern Ontario was less fruitful than hoped, due to an overly warm summer which delayed most colour. Pair that with a nice snowstorm the weekend we were due to fly back to Calgary and all of the leaves dropped in short order. I was able to gain access to some neat areas on private land, exploring creek valleys and "waterfalls", which often lacked any water to speak of but were still neat to hoof around.

I0000VL7y4PxXDLo.jpg


Going to finish off with an image created just last week. I was getting inspired by all of the scenes of the SW that I wanted to explore these areas even more. Lacking the time and funding to head down to Arizona or Utah, I made due with a day jaunt through Dinosaur Provincial Park here in Alberta, and was satiated (even if only for a short time).

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My favorite of the year, from Yellowstone.

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Floating the upper Green River probably ranks as my favorite outdoor experience of 2015.

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This sunrise at Neon made me miss the 16-35 f/2.8's superb sunstars.

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This composition really spoke to me when I shot it. Didn't seem to resonate with anyone online but I loved the juxtaposition of foreground and background elements.

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A 10-stop ND filter helped convey the wild motion in the skies during a rainy Memorial Day hike in Upper Muley.

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@Nick shared this amazing spot during our Autumn Ambling overnighter.

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This serene morning shooting sunrise along Havasu Creek yielded a bunch of keepers. The motion in the water in this shot made it one of my favorites.
The snow shot is VERY special!!!!
 
I was hiking up the Right Fork of North Creek in Zion Nat'l Park. (THE Subway is up the Left Fork). I am confident that if I did the trip again...I wouldn't even see this spot. This shot is of nothing grand. Nothing unique. It is literally 1/160th of a second of light, shadow, texture, contentment.....and joy. IMG_1637.JPG
 
This is a great set of images folks! Really making me feel like my year hasn't been nearly as productive as I had thought earlier hehe.
I managed to get out and tent it for a total of 10 days this year - which was a little less than I had hoped, but work and the entire industry up here has been turned upside down, so having a job and keeping it was a bit more of a priority at the time. I apologize in advance if some of these images are replicated in other spots, also gonna have to have a bit more text since my goal of writing up trip reports and stuff fell flat on its face around my first trip hehe.

First up was early spring and I went exploring through the prairie transition zone near the Badlands of central Alberta. I found this little provincial park one morning, with a heavy frost from the night before the rising sun really started glowing off the branches of the trees.

I0000QhEifEDoVWU.jpg


My first real trip was in mid May, when I ventured out to the Cypress Hills area of SE Alberta. Still haven't gone through all of the images I was able to capture there, but hiking the grass hills and forests was a wonderful break for me. A unique environment in the middle of the prairies for sure, and lots and lots of little tick friends keeping me company ;).

I0000lJql7kj9W4s.jpg


Summer lent itself well to hiking and exploring, albeit in a mix of conditions. One fine morning along the Icefields parkway I was treated to a cracker of a sunrise in near perfect conditions at the foot of Mt. Chephren.

I0000keq_kRRWWs0.jpg


I'm also starting to notice a theme in format for my photos this year hehe. But in August I hit the road once again to explore the Mt. Robson area of North Central BC. For those who aren't aware, Mount Robson is the highest mountain peak in the Canadian Rockies. This trip had pretty much everything, super hot afternoons on the first day there, cool evenings, snow, and still one of the best trips I have ever been on. The trail system around Mt. Robson is amazing, and probably some of the best trails I have ever been on.... and that sentiment was shared. with a lot of people. Even the short jog to Kinney Lake was soo packed even spreading out there were groups every 20-50 feet apart the whole hike there and back.

I0000vMGqrx2zwTs.jpg


A few weeks later I felt I finally had hit my groove for these trips, with everything prepared and easily packed into the Mazdadon, I hit the road in September to Fernie BC, an area I had driven through a number of times, but never explored. Definitely didn't pack well enough as the temperatures never peaked above 5* C during the rainy days, but the first mornings sunrise made up for any discomfort I would feel for the remainder of the trip. Walking out of an old growth Cedar forest early in the morning I looked west towards the Lizard Range and saw this scene.

I0000afJ3JfZOllI.jpg


The fog created by the frost from the night before was limited to the valley here. 6 km further up the trail when you crest the first ridge of the valley and everything was clear.
My annual trip out to visit my in laws which usually coincides with fall colours in Southern Ontario was less fruitful than hoped, due to an overly warm summer which delayed most colour. Pair that with a nice snowstorm the weekend we were due to fly back to Calgary and all of the leaves dropped in short order. I was able to gain access to some neat areas on private land, exploring creek valleys and "waterfalls", which often lacked any water to speak of but were still neat to hoof around.

I0000VL7y4PxXDLo.jpg


Going to finish off with an image created just last week. I was getting inspired by all of the scenes of the SW that I wanted to explore these areas even more. Lacking the time and funding to head down to Arizona or Utah, I made due with a day jaunt through Dinosaur Provincial Park here in Alberta, and was satiated (even if only for a short time).

I0000wplvMzZWM3I.jpg

Beautiful shots. I like all of them but especially the Mt. Robson and leaf pic.
 
Nice pics......Mt Robson area is on my list.....more specifically, parts of the Great Divide Trail..... You have any info on that? I have some and a old book.....
 
Wow, love those bird shots. Stellar.
 
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Golly, these are fantastic images folks! Cheers to the best year yet!
 
Nice pics......Mt Robson area is on my list.....more specifically, parts of the Great Divide Trail..... You have any info on that? I have some and a old book.....
Thanks Bob, let me look at what I have captured and I'll PM you if I find some helpfull stuff.. My trail guids have a bunch from within the parks themselves, not sure if they have listed sections of the GDT specifically though.
 
Okay, this is fun. Great stuff everyone. Here's a few of my faves from this year.

January in Valley of Fire:

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Orange Cliffs, Canyonlands National Park, February:

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Toroweap Point in March:

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Pine Creek in April, Zion:

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Crystal Springs Canyon, May, Lake Powell:

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Red Castle in June, High Uintas:

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July in the White Clouds, Idaho:

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A couple from Titcomb Basin, late July:

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Sunrise from Silver Glance, August:

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A smokey Bald Mountain Pass, late August:

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Labor Day in the Holy Cross Wilderness, CO:

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Escalante Arm of Lake Powell, October:

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Pectol's Pyramid, Capitol Reef National Park:

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The Joint Trail, November:

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Candy Cliffs, November:

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