Landscape

Sunrise at Swiftcurrent Lake

Another frosty tent, and a dark sky met us as we greeted the morning. At this point in the trip we were actually starting to sleep pretty well in the tent under the stars as the busy days and long hours were preparing us well for rest. However, it will never be easy to wake up in the dark and venture into the cold morning air.

Our goal this time was to catch the sun rising against the beautiful peaks and lakes of the Many Glacier area. I had read a few days prior that you can often get either a beautiful glassy lake surface or even fog rolling over the lake bed.

As with many mountain parks it is not easy to get around, and so we had to drive out of Glacier National Park, and then back in again at the Many Glacier entrance just north of us.

With little planning (yep… that whole planning thing) we had to rush, find our way there, and setup my gear in the dark. Trying to figure out compositions and lighting on the spot is challenging and can sometimes ruin a moment, but this view is literally impossible to ruin.

All vacations have their stressful moments, but if you’ve ever done photography or live with someone who does (sorry wife!) you’ll know that a rushed sunrise shoot 1,000 miles from home is very high stress. You always assume you have less time than you do, and I made the typical mistake of grumping out at my family and rushing off ahead of them to hope to capture the light.

In the middle of moments like this I do truly need to learn to stop and take it all in.

After profusely apologizing to my family, we did end up letting the scene play out before us. The kids throwing rocks off into the lake, and my wife and I (in between composition changes) watching the sun light up the peaks and burn its way down to the lake before us.

From a photography perspective, the sky and water were not ideal. Though the low clouds rolling over the peaks were fantastic, the sky did not have enough high clouds for color, and the lake below was being hit with a fairly strong wind, limiting the options for reflections. Overall though I was pleased with the results.

I’ll let the pictures and time lapse below speak for themselves.

Time lapse of Grinnel Point and the Garden Wall as the sun rises to meet the earth. Taken with an iPhone X and the Skyflow app.

Just before the sun officially broke the horizon the sky was a beautiful pink and blue, and a low fog rolled over the Garden Wall in the distance. Canon EOS 80D f/9 1.3s ISO-100 18mm

Normally the time for explosive color in the sky, but some eastern clouds, and a lack of clouds to the west caused the scene to fizzle out a bit. Still though these mountains are impressive no matter the conditions. Canon EOS 80D f/11 2.5s ISO-100 3…

Normally the time for explosive color in the sky, but some eastern clouds, and a lack of clouds to the west caused the scene to fizzle out a bit. Still though these mountains are impressive no matter the conditions. Canon EOS 80D f/11 2.5s ISO-100 35mm

The magic begins as the alpen glow kicks in over Mt. Gould and the Garden Wall. Canon EOS 80D f/11 1.3s ISO-100 35mm

The magic begins as the alpen glow kicks in over Mt. Gould and the Garden Wall. Canon EOS 80D f/11 .6s ISO-100 59mm

With the beautiful forest shoreline and the glow of Mt. Gould and the Angel Wing I simply couldn’t resist this composition. One day I hope to return to capture the milky way here. Canon EOS 80D f/11 .6s ISO-100 18mm

Not to be outdone by the Garden Wall in the distance, the main attraction of Swiftcurrent Lake is Grinnel Point, seemingly rising right up from the shoreline.

It is an incredibly beautiful sight to spend an early frosty morning along the shore line listening to the water and wildlife as the sun slowly slides down the face of the peaks in the distance to eventually meet the water below. Canon EOS 80D f/11 1.3s ISO-100 18mm

Almost fully swallowed by the sun now, Grinnel Point lights up like a beacon glowing across the turbulent waters below. Canon EOS 80D f/11 .5s ISO-100 18mm

Mt. Wilbur is a massive staple of the Many Glacier area in Glacier National Park. You can see this beautiful mountain towering over Swiftcurrent Lake, however it also feeds the smaller Iceberg lake (a fantastic hiking destination) just off to the right of this image. Canon EOS 80D f/18 0.8s ISO-100 35mm

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