My campsite had been booked several weeks in advance. As the date drew closer it became apparent that I was likely going to have a cool, rainy camping trip. As my friend James would say, “any fool can be uncomfortable”. I decided that it was time to invest in a shelter that would help keep me a bit dryer at my campsite.
The shelter, pictured below, turned out to be a good investment. The mosquito netting on three sides, when it got wet, tended to shed water rather than let it pass through. The result was that I could sit in the shelter and stay dry even when it was pouring rain outside. The solid back helped shelter me from some of the wind. And it was large enough that I could set up my camp stove inside it and cook under cover. It’s actually large enough to fit over a picnic table (in this case the tables were on top of an asphalt pad so it wasn’t possible to drive in the stakes needed to secure the shelter). Pure heaven!
While setting up my camp, I was closely observed by a local resident.
The shelter kept me nice and dry while cooking a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast one morning.
My comfort at the campsite assured, all I needed was to find subject matter to photograph over my three days in Jasper National Park. Of course, in Jasper NP, finding suitable subject matter is never a problem.
With frequent rain, overcast skies and low cloud layers, this was not going to be a trip to capture beautiful clear grand landscapes with towering mountains in the background. In fact, for much of my time, most of the mountains were largely obscured by cloud. Instead of being a detriment, that just provided opportunities for some moodier types of images. It also forced me to look around for other stuff to photograph.
On this trip, I opted to return a couple of times on different days to the same locations to photograph them in different conditions.
The first two images below, of Patricia Lake, were taken at different times on the same morning. Different lighting creates quite different moods. I actually spent about three hours at this one location, watching the ever changing light. The third was taken a couple of mornings later from a slightly different vantage point.
Similarly, these two images of Pyramid Lake were taken on different mornings. Again, different conditions, different moods.
The bright rain gear of the tourists stand out in this rainy day photo of the bridge that connects an island in Pyramid Lake with the shore.
The rain did let up enough to let me take these images at Horseshoe Lake.
The primarily overcast skies provided the nice, soft, diffused lighting that is perfect for photographing wildflowers.
While in the campground, I was visited by a Merlin who successfully captured his evening meal.
Visitors to Jasper National Park know that it is fairly common to see Wapiti (Elk). They truly are magnificent animals. In the Spring, its an added bonus to encounter Wapiti cows with their calves.
You can’t control the weather. One thing this camping trip to the mountains demonstrated though, is that regardless of the conditions, there is always something you can photograph. You just have to slow down, observe your surroundings and be in the moment.
Wind At Your Back 