Day 30, September 11

Day 30, September 11

Locations: Athabasca River; Saskatchewan Crossing; Mt. Robson

Miles driven: 384

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I set the alarm for 6:20 and started down the Moab Lake Road at 6:35. I couldn't see exactly what the sky status was yet when I got up, as far as if there were any breaks in the apparent cloud cover. I couldn't see stars at any rate. A few minutes later there was some light in the sky and I saw it was low overcast once again and no mountains were visible. I was figuring on just going to another pullout to nap a bit. At 7:14, I saw black bear #11 as it was running across the road near Leech Lake along 93A.

I stopped in at Athabasca Falls since there was only one other vehicle parked there and I decided to shoot the opposite side of the falls from the bridge. However, as I was walking down to the falls from the parking lot, I could see some blue sky overhead, and one of the peaks, probably Whirlpool Peak, that I could see the very top of, was pink! WHOA! Little did I know until now that it was another low fog layer with nothing above it! This was very unexpected to say the least. So, I shot there long enough to burn a sheet of 4x5 and got some shots on the Rebel. After I was finishing up the shots I wanted to get, people started arriving by the dozens. Time to get out of this mad house and get up the road! I made a move-on and quickly drove to the second pullout available along the river to the south at a point where the river comes closest to the road. The conditions were perfect as Mt. Fryatt, Whirlpool Peak, and their neighboring mountains to the north had some wonderful clearing clouds hanging in front and on top of them. I stopped at a couple other pullouts for more shots as the clouds stayed in position. It was 11:43 and the day was just flying by. It's amazing how quick all the mornings went when I shot the whole time. Very productive! If only it was like this every day.

I continued south along the Icefields Parkway and there were a lot of low clouds at the Columbia Icefields Centre, though I could see blue sky above the thinner layers. I was hoping I could get sunset on Mt. Robson tonight. I went as far south as Saskatchewan Crossing and into the Howse River/Valley Overlook and picnic area where I took some snaps, then turned back north and went three kilometers past the Glacier Lake trailhead parking lot where there is an unmarked side road that goes back to the river. I made a couple sandwiches along the river bank and enjoyed the view of Mt. Wilson just across the highway. Mt. Wilson, by the way, is the most incredible mountain I’ve ever driven under as it shoots straight up from the road. Its towering pinnacles, waterfalls down seemingly every couloir, and its sheer size is something else. After lunch, I headed back out and took a number of snaps of Mt. Wilson along the way out. It was mostly blue sky at this point with some cool, smaller clouds lingering on the mountains.

I fueled up in Jasper and left there at 4:45 and headed west for Robson. Just out of Jasper after cresting the hill, I could see a lot of clouds in the distance where the view opens up, and maybe 10 miles from Robson it turned pretty much completely overcast. I knew at this point that I wasn't going to be able to see the mountain and that I'd likely be making a quick U-turn once I got to the Robson Campground area and would try to find a sunset back around Jasper. Robson was, in fact, clouded halfway up. I took one snap and turned around. That was a wasted 100-mile round-trip!

I topped off the tank again in Jasper so that I could make my way down to the Lake Louise area for tomorrow. Clouds had already taken over this region since I was here last. I drove a bit past the Sunwapta Resort and then went back into the Sunwapta Falls parking lot looking for an unobstructed view of the sweet peaks to the southwest around Fortress Mountain, but there wasn’t one to be had. I went back out and looked for the best possible area to shoot them from the highway. I climbed just above the road from a pullout to try to shoot above the trees on the far side. I took a few from here, but nothing special. I was in love with this set of peaks, and so as long as I recorded them, I was happy. I wanted to come home with a shot of most of the mountain views from along this route and they don’t have to be of great quality for me to be able to enjoy them. I left this spot and headed back towards Jasper. Sunset was uneventful.

I was originally planning on staying at the Moab Lake lot one more time so I could shoot along the Athabasca River for sunrise again tomorrow, but I changed my mind as I decided I'd stay at the Tonquin Valley trailhead to go for another Cavell sunrise and also hoped to get the peaks at the end of the Astoria River valley. I would hope by doing this that I would be higher than the fog that I was already counting on being present which would give me the best opportunity first thing in the morning. I drove back into Jasper again and topped off the tank for the third time today. I got up to the trailhead at 9:39.

7:50 AM — Water flow opposite Athabasca falls from the bridge