Posted by Marc Adamus on December 4, 2006 at 11:25 AM
You guys have all heard of the WA/BC floods in early November. Well, I suffered through the same storm system at the Mosquito Creek Campground, at 6200 feet in the Canadian Rockies. This was the view not far from my campsite as the snow began to fall. It was among the heaviest snow I'd ever seen, and at one point 12 inches fell in four hours, then it rained heavily for 8 hours and then 12 more inches fell in six hours. It was ridiculous. Made for some interesting pics though!
Canon 5D, 70-200 at 70mm, no filters, 1/60sec. at F16, ISO 200.
Posted by Jeremy Cram on December 4, 2006 at 12:59 PM
Dude...your iso is set way to high.
Posted by Zack Schnepf on December 4, 2006 at 1:25 PM
I love the abstract, almost impressionistic look this has. You captured the heavy snow fall really well. Glad you made it back
Posted by Erik Lundh on December 4, 2006 at 1:59 PM
Marc,
I'm not feeling this one as much as your last few posts. Maybe not a wall hanger but a background for a brochure or book cover. It does look like it was snowing pretty hard. When it started to rain, did you still camp? Sounds like a good time to spring for a motel.
Posted by Marc Adamus on December 4, 2006 at 2:06 PM
Yeah, you guys on the PNWNP are going to see all the weird stuff I'm not so sure about because I know you'll tell me how you really feel. That's what I like about these forums. It's not always a pretty picture show.
Anyway, I stuck it out in the tent the whole time. It snowed 14 out of 15 days at one point and I was once stranded due to a temporary road closure for a day along Icefields parkway. The only time I sprung for a motel (hunting lodge) was in Glacier before heading back to Banff the second time. All my batteries were dead and I couldn't charge them fast enough in the car. Plus, it was snowing so hard I would have been stuck in the St. Mary campground until they got around to plowing it.
Posted by Marc Adamus on December 4, 2006 at 2:09 PM
This was my burried tent in the Mosquito Creek Campground, after I had already shoveled it out a few times. Quite cozy in there actually.
Posted by John Lehmkuhl on December 4, 2006 at 2:14 PM
Oh my God. That tent shot is amazing.... You should post that in Man and nature I like elements in the OP but it's not singing much of a song to me except for a wet one. I actually do like the layers of different trees fading into the BG and see why you chose f/16 to get them all in sharpish focus.
Posted by Zack Schnepf on December 4, 2006 at 2:44 PM
Wow, your tent held up great under there. I bet it would be quite a bit warmer if you left the snow on there for insulation.
How much weight did you lose on this trip with all the hicking and campground conditions not optimal for a campstove? Also, how did your camera and batteries hold up under the constant cold conditions?
Posted by Marc Adamus on December 4, 2006 at 3:34 PM
I don't have too much weight to loose in the first place, at only 140, so not much I hope.... I'm pretty experienced at cooking in cold. Not only was I previously a line cook and have a culinary degree, I have a campstove that runs pretty well on propane/butane mix down to around 0 degrees. Once I get the wind-shield around it, it warms up and gets cranking pretty good. Ever had garlic butter sautéed prawns and vegtables with pesto fettuccini in a blizzard? I had a bottle of nice Pinot to warm me up too.
The camera held up just fine. I've had it down to -13F before without issue. The batteries loose 2/3 of their charge below freezing and do not function at all below zero. For this reason, I keep spares warm in my inner pockets, which seemed to last 20 minutes or so before refreezing in-camera. It's just a constant cycle of battery warming. I charged the batteries in the car, in the Banff and Lake Louise campground restrooms (which is why they charge $24/night for a campground I guess) and in the lodge the one night I stayed there. I had about a dozen batteries total.
Posted by Jack Graham on December 4, 2006 at 6:55 PM
What an adventure! and the images speak volumes!
JG
Posted by Rick Lundh on December 4, 2006 at 10:39 PM
Looks like my sensor after this Saturday's outting. What weather you got, eh? Just crazy.
BTW, I can attest to Marc's camp cooking. I've never tasted so much wonderful flavor in most restaurants...let alone on a fricken camping trip!
Discussion
12 repliesCanon 5D, 70-200 at 70mm, no filters, 1/60sec. at F16, ISO 200.
I'm not feeling this one as much as your last few posts. Maybe not a wall hanger but a background for a brochure or book cover. It does look like it was snowing pretty hard. When it started to rain, did you still camp? Sounds like a good time to spring for a motel.
Anyway, I stuck it out in the tent the whole time. It snowed 14 out of 15 days at one point and I was once stranded due to a temporary road closure for a day along Icefields parkway. The only time I sprung for a motel (hunting lodge) was in Glacier before heading back to Banff the second time. All my batteries were dead and I couldn't charge them fast enough in the car. Plus, it was snowing so hard I would have been stuck in the St. Mary campground until they got around to plowing it.
The camera held up just fine. I've had it down to -13F before without issue. The batteries loose 2/3 of their charge below freezing and do not function at all below zero. For this reason, I keep spares warm in my inner pockets, which seemed to last 20 minutes or so before refreezing in-camera. It's just a constant cycle of battery warming. I charged the batteries in the car, in the Banff and Lake Louise campground restrooms (which is why they charge $24/night for a campground I guess) and in the lodge the one night I stayed there. I had about a dozen batteries total.
JG
BTW, I can attest to Marc's camp cooking. I've never tasted so much wonderful flavor in most restaurants...let alone on a fricken camping trip!