14 replies to this topic

[zzcoop]

Day 2 - Friday September 23, 2011

Started off day 2 in the now traditional fashion by getting up too stinkin' early and heading out for sunrise. And this time out, I decided to give Haiyaha another go. I headed up there last summer, but ended up getting too late of a start to make it for sunrise. Plus I wanted to shoot it with the new wide angle lens I got this spring, so a return trip was an easy no-brainer.

I had plenty of time to spare this time around, so I decided to stop off at Nymph to attempt a little starry sky action. I (very) rarely ever do any night photography, but I thought what the heck. My attempts to focus my little 35mm f/1.8 in the dark was comical to say the least, and for every 10 out of focus shots, I had one that was almost in focus. Here's one of, if not the only, keeper in the bunch. If you cross your eyes just right, and don't look at it too close or for too long, it almost looks like I sort of knew what I was doing!



Almost.

After that frustrating bit of sad, pathetic failure, I continued on. About halfway between Nymph and Dream, I caught a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of my eye. It was a young bull elk, a few yards ahead of me, strolling as slowly and as casually as possible on the trail. I don't think I've ever seen a critter stay on the trail for that long without heading off into the woods to get away from the obnoxious human doofus shining their dopey headlamp up its butt. He took his sweet time, moseying along the path, stopping every few yards to nibble on some tasty trailside foliage and check on dorko with the illuminated ballcap every couple minutes. He eventually took a left and I was again on my way.

The spot I wanted to shoot was the spot by the pool just before Haiyaha that I shot before. No clouds (of course) but the conditions were perfect for reflections.



The water level was a little lower than last time, but still provided an awesome vantage point for one of my favorite views of Hallett.



I love the way Hallett comes alive with color, even before the sun hits it. These were taken about fifteen minutes or so before sunrise.





I've got several more from this spot, but I'll post those later. After I was happy with the shots I had, I headed to the shore of Haiyaha to get a quick (and windy) shot from the lake itself.



I headed back down via the unimproved trail, and came across this spectacular little unnamed pond along the way, right beside the trail. It was unexpected, and quite a treat for sure.



Had a nice leisurely hike back out, and as an added bonus, I bumped into B-Jay as she was making her way to the Boulder Brook trail. My first official on-trail encounter of the forum folk kind! Very exciting!

Continued…

Edited by zzcoop, 07 October 2011 - 10:16 PM.

[zzcoop]

I returned to the cabin and asked the girls where they wanted to go for the day, and Ally said she wanted to try and get to Cub Lake. We attempted Cub a couple trips back, but it was a HOT day, and she was just too worn out to make it, so we turned around a little over halfway. She wanted to give it another go however, so we made that the plan.

She did AWESOME for pretty much the entirety of the hike up, petering out about 2/3 of the way up (tripping over a rock and darn near face-planting didn't help) and Jen ended up carrying her for a while.



But once we started to approach the lake, she hoofed it the rest of the way, determined to earn herself another Trail Tag. Even though as soon as we arrived, she said, "Okay! Can we turn around now?" we sat down and had ourselves a nice lunch and she came right back around. The ducks and chippies had more than a little to do with that.



And this time around, I wasn't the only one taking photos along the way.











Proud papa? Yeah, maybe just a little.

After chowing down and taking in the scenery, we posed for a few obligatory cheeseball family pics.



More than a few of which included the equally obligatory bunny ears on yours truly.



Fortunately, I've developed a defense mechanism for said shenanigans. Ah, the old preemptive self-inflicted bunny ears technique. Works every time.



Continued…

[zzcoop]

Re-energized from lunch and frolicking, she hiked back like a champ. Not much else to report really, so I'll just wrap things up by posting some of the photos Ally took.

The Big Thompson





She spotted this guy and fired off a shot before I even knew he was there.



Jen might have taken this one, I'm not sure. Either way… nice!



Duck!



Lilies!





Dork!





That's about it, gang. Thanks for reading!

[Igloo Ed]

zzcoop, on 07 October 2011 - 09:42 PM, said:

I headed back down via the unimproved trail, and came across this spectacular little unnamed pond along the way, right beside the trail. It was unexpected, and quite a treat for sure.

Grannyheart has stood on top of that rock behind the pond with the tree growing on it.
Some cool photos and it looks like Ally is a natural.

[Grannyheart]

Igloo Ed, on 07 October 2011 - 10:18 PM, said:

Grannyheart has stood on top of that rock behind the pond with the tree growing on it.
Some cool photos and it looks like Ally is a natural.

I think I remember that spot, Ed. Was the pond frozen and was there some snow on the ground when we were there?? If I'm remembering right....it was a very nice spot! A short hike, but a very adventurous day in the park with you. :)

[John]

A+ report all around, but the shots of Hallet in morning light are stunning!

[NWA395]

Fantastic photographs, thanks for sharing...

[Monica]

It sure was worth it getting up too stinkin' early! These pictures are gorgeous!
I like the one of Jen comforting Ally after she fell, it's so natural.
Ally is becoming quite the hiker and a chip off the 'ol block with a camera. Good for her!
I love all her pictures.

[mistylady]

I love the bunny ears, ducks, and dork pictures! Great time with the family. Ally is a great little hiker and apparently a "chip off the old block". She already has a wonderful sense of adventure and humor. Your pictures at Haiyaha are great! Glad you got up so early.

[mwilson]

Great report and pics. So glad that Ally decided to give Cub Lake another try and had fun (mostly) doing it. It looks like you packed a lot into your short trip to the park.

[Lynette]

Is it just because of the high contrast in this picture? Something almost makes my eyes go batty when I try to look at the edge between Hallett and the sky... like it almost jumps around. Not sure if it's my monitor, my eyes..or the picture itself.

[goatboy]

great shots man, keep her interested in takin pics it will pay off later
thx for sharin
goatboy

[zzcoop]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! This was a great day. 99% fun and 1% "serenity now."

Lynette, on 08 October 2011 - 02:50 PM, said:

Is it just because of the high contrast in this picture? Something almost makes my eyes go batty when I try to look at the edge between Hallett and the sky... like it almost jumps around. Not sure if it's my monitor, my eyes..or the picture itself.

Yeah, it's definitely the contrast. That shot is pretty much shown as-taken. Those mountains against that sky, with the sun at that angle. It was just as vivid in person. And my Coke bottle lenses throw one heck of a fringe at the line where the two meet.

[Rhonda]

What a great report, great photos, great family! I love the stars at Nymph, too!

[B-Jay]

ZZ, it's funny... As soon as I saw you coming down the trail, I said to myself, "I know who that guy is!" I found it amazing that you were already finished with the early morning portion of your hike while I was just starting mine. You sure can pack a lot of activity in one day.

I enjoyed all the pictures taken by both you and Ally. Congratulations to Ally for making it all the way to Cub Lake. It's too bad there were no moose at the lake to add to her enjoyment.

B-Jay