
Glacier Lake – Eagle Cap Wilderness
Taken during an August 2016 backpacking trip into the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Northeastern Oregon. Glacier Lake is certainly one of the most beautiful lakes in the impressive Eagle Cap Wilderness. The hike to this lake is not an easy one but the rewards for your efforts are great.
While preparing for the trip, I had an important decision to make; to carry the extra weight of my camera or not. I knew that carrying the weight of my camera, lenses & tripod would add unwanted pounds to my already heavy pack, a weight I knew I my back would not enjoy tugging all those miles. On the other side of the coin, I knew that to leave my camera behind while hiking in such a beautiful area would be something I would regret for the rest of my life. Hmmm… let’s see… a regret that lasts a few days or a regret that lasts a lifetime? The decision quickly became a simple one!
I took this photo on the morning of our third day in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. For some reason, it’s easy to get up real early when sleeping in a tent. I was always cold and getting up meant moving around and warming up. I crawled out of my tent while it was still dark, a couple hours before dawn. Our trip coincided with the Perseid Meteor Shower. I sat in awe of the light show of stars & meteors overhead, surrounded only by the sights & sounds of nature. There were no sights or sounds of man to disturb the peace.
Soon, I noticed the soft blue color low on the eastern horizon, alerting me that blue hour was beginning. The blue hour is the transition of light when the sun lights the sky but it is still too far below the horizon to provide any direct light. It is the first sign of light in the morning and the last sign of light at the end of the day. I love photographing during the blue hours, the mood is so soft and peaceful and there is rarely another soul around.
I moved to the lake’s edge and set up my camera. A slight breeze, like Mother Nature’s breath, would ripple the lake. In the next moment, the lake would be perfectly still as if a mirror for the peaks above. The moments coalesce as though time stands still. The photos that I bring home are timeless memories of my experiences. It is my hope that you can imagine yourself in that moment with me.
I want one! 😀
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