Posted by Tom Kloster on January 5, 2008 at 2:43 PM
This is a final shot from my snowshoe trip up Lolo Pass last Monday. This is the typical roadside view, and my goal in heading up there was to capture a lot of snow in the treetops. As you can see, I was a day late and a dollar short! The wind had picked up over the pass that morning, and I was literally watching the snow load being blowing out of the trees in front of me - very distressing! It was also quite warm and sunny, so all of the elements were aligned to erase the huge snow dump that had come down over the previous several days.
A couple people e-mailed me about the location, and so I'll mention some details here, since this is a perfect trip for casual snowshoers. The road is not gated in winter, but is only plowed to the spot where the Old Maid Flat road forks (and is gated). There's a parking area, but it is not plowed, so you simply park along the shoulder of Lolo Pass Road. There were about 20 cars there on a sunny holiday weekend, but the bulk of those folks were headed to Old Maid Flat and beyond, not Lolo Pass Road.
The downside: you have to share Lolo Pass Road with snowmobiles and (when snow levels permit) the occasional 4x4. But mostly, it's skiers and snowshoers on the road. The route is also under powerlines, so while highly scenic, it's not a wilderness experience, to be sure. You can go as far as you like, but the first viewpoints are only about 2/3 mile from the plowed portion of the road.
Comments and suggestions appreciated, as always! This was taken with Ray Atkeson in mind, and using an Olympus E-510, 14-54mm lens at about 18mm, polarizer. Lots of processing in Photoshop, of course, but not quite as bold as the detail shots that I posted earlier... so no sunglasses required this time!
Posted by John Williams on January 5, 2008 at 4:28 PM
While I agree more snow would be optimal, this is my favorite of the bunch. Nice shot Tom!
Posted by Ned Fenimore on January 5, 2008 at 7:19 PM
Lovely shot, Tom... great job!
Posted by Geoff Shapiro on January 5, 2008 at 8:18 PM
Tom, I like this one even better than the more intimate shots you've been posting. Those foreground trees have enough snow to convey the image as a winter photo. Sure, more would have been nice but this is fine as is...
Nice composition, Tom. This could almost pass for infrared.
Posted by Erik Lundh on January 7, 2008 at 3:10 PM
Tom,
I also like it though more snow on the trees would help. I have a shot from close to where the electric wires cross the road. The trees had LOTS of snow but the mountain was hiding.
Posted by Tom Kloster on January 7, 2008 at 4:41 PM
Thanks for the comments - and I know what you mean about the snow up there, Erik. The problem is that it's a southern exposure along that section of the road, so you have to basically be there as the clouds part to actually catch a good amount of snow on the trees!
The complicating factor is that the light generally isn't very good until afternoon on this side of the mountain... so that narrows it down to about a 2-hour window on the three or four clear days per year that follow a good dumping of snow at lower elevations. Not good odds! However, I have been known to... cough... cough... develop "mountain sickness" on those rare days, and been unable to make it in to the office...
Discussion
6 repliesA couple people e-mailed me about the location, and so I'll mention some details here, since this is a perfect trip for casual snowshoers. The road is not gated in winter, but is only plowed to the spot where the Old Maid Flat road forks (and is gated). There's a parking area, but it is not plowed, so you simply park along the shoulder of Lolo Pass Road. There were about 20 cars there on a sunny holiday weekend, but the bulk of those folks were headed to Old Maid Flat and beyond, not Lolo Pass Road.
The downside: you have to share Lolo Pass Road with snowmobiles and (when snow levels permit) the occasional 4x4. But mostly, it's skiers and snowshoers on the road. The route is also under powerlines, so while highly scenic, it's not a wilderness experience, to be sure. You can go as far as you like, but the first viewpoints are only about 2/3 mile from the plowed portion of the road.
Comments and suggestions appreciated, as always! This was taken with Ray Atkeson in mind, and using an Olympus E-510, 14-54mm lens at about 18mm, polarizer. Lots of processing in Photoshop, of course, but not quite as bold as the detail shots that I posted earlier... so no sunglasses required this time!
I also like it though more snow on the trees would help. I have a shot from close to where the electric wires cross the road. The trees had LOTS of snow but the mountain was hiding.
The complicating factor is that the light generally isn't very good until afternoon on this side of the mountain... so that narrows it down to about a 2-hour window on the three or four clear days per year that follow a good dumping of snow at lower elevations. Not good odds! However, I have been known to... cough... cough... develop "mountain sickness" on those rare days, and been unable to make it in to the office...