started off bad-but ended pretty kool

5/17/09 Started off bad-but ended pretty kool

we began our day rather early as we were headed for Many Glaciers on the east side of Glacier National Park.

The trip is about 150 miles and you never know what you may encounter on the way as we travel through the heart of the mountains.

Two days prior we had a great time up on the west side of Glacier and even tho it rained the day couldn't of been sweeter...well ok we could of got some moose photos or other wildlife and maybe a fresh burger.

We arrived to fill up the gas tank about 7:15 a.m. and I needed my morning fix of soda-a strange brew of sugars and caramel and whatever else they need to make the heart have a jolt and it is just heaven-now you can see my love for this yummy stuff at the band site...just watch the video and you will see what I mean(spoiler alert-you have to read the t-shirt)www.nathancreek.org

I grabbed the normal size cup for the soda and as I filled the cup I was just getting ready to tell my wife about something I am sure was important and proceeded to put the now filled cup of chilled soda up on the counter but some how the world at that moment decided to slow down and create what I call the "aloe ver you paradox" and wella-I was covered in soda and not just a tad but all down the front of me....life seemed to come to a end as I looked down and realized that everyone in the store was now affixed to my paradox.

Of course I did what any person would do-wow!!! I cried-not sure what just happened but don't buy this pop!!!

I quickly started to clean up the pop which was now making a nice mess all over the floor and the clerk just grinned and said-don't worry....I will get a mop.

Needless to say the trip had begun and I was hoping that this day would get better soon.

My wonderful wife joked for the rest of the day "if we run into bear they will be happy because you have sweeten their food....somehow when life gets you down there is always that one person who has to kick you and all in the name of love.

We were finally on the road-the sun was just coming up over the mountains and the skies were blue least on the west side of Glacier and our first stop would be Goat lick.

Goat lick is a scenic area that is very hilly as in ravines and rocky mountains give way to the waters rolling through the forests.

A canyon if you will has been cut over the many years with the river running in the center but the unusual site here as kool as it is with the river cutting through the rocky landscape are the Goats.

The cliffs are imbedded with salt and literally hundreds of Goats will line the walls of the canyon just trying to get to the salt.

Now every time we have been here the Goats have been elsewhere probably trying to get information about the clown who spilled pop all down the front of him...

Today we would not see any but last year I did hike a ways up this creek that is across from the area and that in itself was a dangerous hike as I took photographs of the springtime run off of water racing past me and falling over the cliffs with about a 200 foot drop if not more...needless to say...never put yourself in a dangerous situation....you may may not live to tell about it.

After spending some time at Goat lick we headed east to East Glacier and it was just 2 weeks ago that this part of Montana had received up to 4 feet of snow-that's a bunch and on this day you could see that the snow was still pretty deep in spots as it covered the hills and mountains.

The roads to East Glacier are rather twisty turvy but the view is awesome.

Along the way we spotted a hawk just lounging in the burned out trees (forest fire) and this is a great area for owls as well so if in the area-keep yer eyes open and make sure the designated driver is either awake with lots of coffee or at least a cup of cold soda down the front side.

Many Glaciers is huge as far as photo ops as well as just a wonderful place to see and that is a understatement.

Along the way we needed to refuel at St. Marys and that was interesting in itself being that most of the shops, gas stations and places to eat do not open for business till mid June but we did stop at what looked like a nice place even tho the shops were closed-St. Marys is a great place but on this day our potty break probably got wind (no pun intended) that some clown in Columbia Falls dumped soda down his front side so the local folks had to try and top the event-and they did....

My Stepson and I decided to take advantage of the stop and use Mr. Potty but when we opened up the restroom door we were welcomed with....GAG!!! O.M.G....what is that?!!!!

All of the plumbing was disconnected I guess to prevent the pipes freezing over the Winter and needless to say anyone who used the bathroom over the past Winter were welcomed with a stench that would make your Mothers hair stand on end and everyone in your family line-it was that bad....we raced out of there like there was no tomorrow but we did get gas...from the pump silly...from the pump.

Many Glaciers welcomed us with open arms as we rolled into Swift Current-now I have heard of this place from a photographers point of view as all of the Magazines from around Northwest Montana use photographs from all over these parts of the Glaciers park area.

Glacier National park is known for it,s beauty in so many ways-today we were blessed to run into just a few of the attractions here.

After parking we checked out the local maps at the Swift Current Inn-all around the Inn are trails but towering high above this lil section of Paradise are the Glaciers that just engulf everything.

Bring your camera and bring cold weather clothes and also do remember that your in the wilds-this is Bear country and you do not want to wander to far with out a partner and listen to the laws of the land-being a hero out here will get you dead fast because it is you against Mother Nature.

Big horn Sheep surround the hills and Mountains as Snow Blankets the terrain.

Grizzly Bears are prominent here and if your looking to just catch a glimpse then I suggest getting here bright and early as this region is thick with Bear as well as Moose and Elk.

We headed for Ptarmigan falls but the snow was getting rather deep so we did our photo shoot from a rocky ledge overlooking Swift Current lake with Grinnell Glacier line behind us and the mountains of Apikuni in front of us.

My Wife and Son walked behind me for a while as I pulled out several lenses to capture some of the scenic sights.

Crokus flowers were just coming into bloom and they stretched out along the hills but towering over them were the Big Horn Sheep of the region.

You could see for miles as the white dots polluted the landscape and of course these were the sheep just out vegging on -veggies.

To capture the Sheep you will need some big lenses and if your using a compact camera you may want to lean on someone for support-no the Sheep will not offend you-the support is to brace yourself so that you can capture the Sheep without moving the camera.

A few of the folks we spoke with had mentioned that Grizzlies were reported in the area early this morn.

Meanwhile the weather was rather nice-the sun was out but a thin overcast covered the sky and this seemed to add a bit of a chill to the day.

After spending a nice time with the Big Horn Sheep and getting nice shots with the scenery we decided to get lunch.
We had driven down to a picnic spot where there was still chunks of snow laying around and the wind seemed to come up some-with that said we broke out the fried chicken,potato salad and chips but somehow The news travels fast around these parts and before I knew it I was wearing my potato salad and chicken-what a lovely way to bring in the noon hour...

After some of us enjoyed our lunch we headed for the lake and this is basically the run off of all of the snow up in the mountains.

Lake Sheburne is a huge reservoir that is engulfed by the Mountains and it alone is a sight to see.

We had traveled to a marshy area along the lake as Moose and Bear scat lined the shoreline.

Even tho we didn't encounter Moose this trip we knew that there was probably more Moose in this area then there were tourist.

We were running out of time and it was time to hit the road and head back to the our neck of the woods-My hope was to get some great shots of the area as well as possibly gather some great photographs of the local wildlife.

As we headed down out of Glacier my wife had commented on how there seemed to be a stoppage up ahead-now that is code for....WILDLIFE AHEAD!!
Before I knew it we were watching a Grizzly bear makes it's way along the rough terrain and walking in the direction we were headed.

Now let me point this out for everyone-do not go and get in the face of any wild animal!

It amazes me what I have seen the short time I have been in Northwest Montana and people just don't think.

What you encounter is not something you see in a pet store or at a zoo-these are wild animals and they are not the least bit interested in anything you might have to say-they will injure you or kill you if you do not stop and think.

Leave the wild to the wild!!!

with this said we came upon a truck and a car that had stopped-the driver of the truck had his vehicle in reverse and slowly staying up with a Grizzly bear who was on a hunt for food.

At one point the fellow of the truck got out and was walking to the front of his truck to see where the bear had gone.

We were in a good vantage point as I had equipped my camera with a high power zoom and as I shot towards the bear who was probably about 2 years old-I was having a tough time shooting through the trees and brush.

As the bear disappeared briefly a car pulled up behind us and the passenger rolled down her window and with a french accent said"what do you see?"

There is a bear in the trees over yonder and with that said the bear was pretty much gone but a fellow with a video camera showed up out of no where .

He walked about 20 feet from his car looking intently into the wooded area as if to get the footage of all footage.

Time had rolled quickly towards us and then gone in a heartbeat-we headed for our home but was left with some great memories and also got what we came for....a great time in Gods Country

photo shoot-Glacier national park part 1

Photo Shoot-Glacier National Park prt.1-The West side 5/15/09

We visit Glacier a lot and for many reasons.

The Beauty of Glacier is just breath taking and to explain what it has to offer would take a very long time but many people consider this place Gods country and for good reason.

Summer brings the tourists,the bikers and those who love a challenge to hike it,s many trails and hope to see a huge variety of wildlife if just for a second.

I have done a lot of Photography here and it is on my list of favs to visit and to see the ever changing landscapes and spend some quality time with my guide-my wife who by the way is probably the most awesome guide ever.

On this day we headed up to the west side of Glacier to take in the sites and see what was going on at Avalanche.

The road is closed at Avalanche Creek due to the road crew working up ahead on Going to the sun road removing snow from the roads and usually the road going up to Logan pass is open around mid june depending on how severe the conditions are up there.

Before we stopped at Avalanche we stopped by Macdonald lodge which is shut down for the season and with good reason.The snow here gets to be very deep and when we were here last May the snow was about 10 feet high in sections and it was spring time.

The Lodge sits on the lake and the view is stunning as you can see the mountains all around.

The only people here are the workers spraying off the Lodge and fixing everythng that needs fixing from the cold Winter but they are visited by the birds that make nests up in the corners of the Lodge and the Gophers that don't make nests in the Lodge but rather wander the nooks and crannies of the area looking for hand outs and an ocasional photographer looking to capture the right shot-hmmm not sure where that cracker came from but this gopher was just tickled to munch away and my wife smiling from ear to ear as if I had just missed something...I did check to see if I still had my wallet.

With photo gear in tow my wife and I headed to walk of the cedars-a very popular spot where the cedar trees wind through the forest and if you get here on a sunny day the sun backlights the trees and creates a magical sight.Today we encounter overcast skies and rain but that didn,t stop us from the hike.
After spending a lil time at the Lodge we headed for Moose Pond-named for the moose that frequent this area.

Today the moose are no where to be found but as we were hiking around the marshy area we did stumble upon proof that Moose and Bear had been in the area which we already knew from visiting this spot often.

Avalanche campground and surrounding areas has many things to offer-hiking,camping,site seeing and great photo ops and being we are no stranger to all of the above-I decided to head past the road block and see what lay on the other side.

My wonderful guide likes to relax and take in a good book while I wander the wilds in search of Photos-now I have never ever seen anyone ever sell any photos out here in the wild but when I do..I will post it here...The Rain was more of a sprinkle at this point and as I hiked along the road I would scan the mountains and hills looking for anything that moved and every now and then I would pass a couple biking and/or racing away from what might be Bear!!

Today tho it was just them taking in a nice rainy day in the mountains.

I had hiked about a mile up the road and a group of folks had let me know that there were a few ducks in the waters ahead which I thought was funny because my wife and I were talking about such things earlier on our hike and how it would be neat if she ran across a harliquin duck and low and behold!! I spotted one and thought-wow...what kind of power does this woman have?

It was interesting watching the two ducks as they would coast along the raging river and then dive into the waters and swim along the bottom looking for fish and then pop back up a few feet down stream.

Of course I had to move rather quickly as wildlife never sits for a photo op and with the rain coming down- I was trying not to get the camera gear wet as it made for what I am sure was a site to see.

Photographing Wildlife is very rewarding as well as rather tiring-a lot of trial and error takes place and with todays digital media what may look like a great picture on your lcd screen can turn out to be nothing but a blur so you really have to have it all together and know some stuff to get great shots.

If I am out hiking I could spend hours just watching and waiting and in most cases I hike at a rather fast pace-not because I don't want to encounter the wilds but because in most cases you have to hike a long distance if you want to get shots that most folks won't ever get a chance to photograph and plus it means a workout is in store and that requires a lot of energy.

You have to take in to account that most freelance Photgraphers carry a lot of gear and we also have a lot of gear to carry-tripods,cameras,gps systems just to name a few and the weight from the camera bag alone can be 20 to 30 pounds not including the variety of lens in the backpack...sheeesh I am tired already.

As I stood there shooting I noticed something out of the corner of my left eye-I thought for a moment...this would not be good if it was a bear because I was only about 25 feet from whatever it was...

I looked up and with a sigh of relief looked over at a deer just standing there wondering what the heck I was doing...

Maybe it thought I was going to jump off the ledge because all of this camera gear was a bit to much.The Deer then moved on to only dissapear into the forest as

I packed up the gear and headed back to my wife who by now was probably wondering if I would ever return but I did and the trip produced a lot of nice photographs as well as more memories for my wife and I.

Glacier National Park is a treasure in northwest Montana and no wonder over a million people will travel here over the next few months just to take in it's beauty.

It is interesting that my backyard is shared with so many but I couldn't ask for a better guide or a better backyard.......hmmm whats this...another cracker?

next blog-Many Glaciers-bear and all!!

all in a days work or how did I get myself into this?

Photography is a interesting thing-you either aquire the skills or you don't and it is kinda like learning to play a instrument or learning how to paint.

Now I am not a fan of painting even tho I use to have my own comic strip which is not like painting at all but it is a form of the Arts and I do play several instruments and have for a kazillion years and still do on a pro level (http://www.nathancreek.org/) but photography has all of the elements that might bore someone.

There is nothing worse then going to a friends house and checking out family photos or going way back into someones photo album and looking at all of the vacation photos...is it just me or do most folks tend to get a sleepy bug and really don't look forward to those kind of photos?

Anyways so the day in the life of this photographer varies from day to day.

I look forward to the days I can go and spend some time just hiking around and getting the ops to photograph on a serious level the amazing things that God has put on this planet.

Usually I plan in advance a location to hang out at such as our backyard which is connected to a wide variety of wildlife.

Deer,Eagles,Osprey,Birds of all sort,river otter,Muskrats,,Bear and mountain lions just to name a few and most of what I have mentioned are main stays to this area.

I never had plans on being a pro Photographer as I am perfectly happy being versatile guitarist who is able to play what he wants and record where he wants to but this photo thing can be a challenge and like anything that requires a lot of time to perfect-I am always learning.

On a normal day I will usually get up as early as I can-this morn I was awake by 5 in the morn and was ready to headout into the wilds at around 6:30.

With Cameras in tow along with my trusty tripod and camera bag I will hike usually about a 1/4 of a mile where I will assess what wildlife may be present and then go from there.

For about the past few weeks I have been monitoring the local favs-the Osprey.This Bird is like a hawk and is very clever and very strong and I must say they have given me some amazing shots since I have been here in Northwest Montana.

This morning tho I came across a sight that I haven't yet caught on camera and this morning I walked right into the perfect scene-The backwaters where we live is a branch off of the Flathead river and these waters feed my favorite spot-the pond or what we call the pond.

A lot of what I have mentioned here happens at the pond and when spring time rolls in and the weather gets to be around 70 degrees the pond takes on a whole different look but thats another story.

When the waters of the pond and surrounding areas are warmer then the air temp it creates fog and fog on Flathead river or any water source is awesome and esp for this photographer.

I stumbled upon the ole pond surrounded in surface fog and the sun was not yet up yet but the lighting was pretty amazing.

Once I have scanned for wildlife-taken shots of this or that I proceed to the next location-which is usually to watch the Osprey or of late I have been trying to capture awesome shots of our Bald eagle whom resides just across the backwater about 3 blocks.(now blockage in Northwest Montana is not like back in Oklahoma where a city block has 10 homes down one side and 4 homes going the other direction-here we compare the distance to miles or 1/4 ,1/2 ect,ect).

Today the Eagle appeared from it's quarters for about a minute but I was so busy putting together camera gear that she was here and gone before I knew it.

Spring is a kool thing to see actually working right in front of your eyes-one minute you have rain and snow falling from the heavens and next thing you have flies bouncing off your forehead and deer hightailing it out of the area and wiggling their tails back and forth like they are mocking you saying"ha!I gott away again -now what are you going to do?

But this week I have been blessed to witness a spectacle right before my eyes-the arrival of baby Canadien Geese and not just one or two but 5.

I was out the other day just working with the camera when I heard Mom & Dad Geese downstream advertising that they just were sporting something that had them honking big time and as I zoomed downstream I noticed that 5 of the koolist lil geese were swimming inbetween their parents.

Mom & Dad were very cautious as they led them upstream and the lil geeses were so excited to get outta the water and cruise the beach-it was very neat.

Today Mr. and Mrs. geese with kids were once again out and about taking the kids shopping for the local fav-bugs,dirt and pooh....yep you read it right and somehow watching their every move and Mom and Dad watching my every move I realized that just like the Osprey-if I respected their space and privacy it seemed to give me least in my mind the possibilities that the wildlife I was seeing on a daily basis was getting use to me being around and I am a firm believer of respecting the wilds.

Observe from a far and leave the land and the wildlife the same as you found it.

The same applies to shooting wildlife outside of the box-bear,moose ect,ect.

I use big lenses for upclose shots as do all pros so please don't think that your going to get a up close and personal shot of a bear because you will not be standing there for long with camera in hand.

Everything that is wild will remain that way and wandering into a location that has wild written all over it can be dangerous.

My backyard is no exception.

So after about 2 or 3 hours in rain or whatever I usually head back home and process the photos.

Going into Glacier with my trusty wife is something we plan in advance even tho Glacier National park is about 30 miles away the trip requires some time as Glacier covers about 730 + miles and bear country is also the home for a whole breed of everything under the sun.

Our next blog will talk about the our hike into Avalanche country and standing on a waterfall of ice and snow.