Signal Mountain Campground, Jackson Lake, Wyoming

Perched 30 feet above the shoreline of a cold Lake Jackson on a recently rain packed sandy bluff at the edge of a pine forest I am awaiting the sunrise and a clear view of the Teton Range across the lake.  It is very still and cold, around 34 degrees and the only sounds are that of the lapping water on the frost nipped rocky shore.  As the sky brightens on the eastern horizon behind me the 1,000's of geese begin to rustle in the reeds 1 mile away on the far shore.  A raucous honking soon ensues with occasional bouts of frantic flapping as small groups jostle about.  Soon the geese's song is joined by a lone loon and then the forlorn bugling of elk in the timber. 

I am fidgeting with the camera with my stiff fingers trying to frame something compelling and waiting for the rose colored light to illuminate the mountains and lake surface.  One half hour before sunrise I take the first exposures then slowly practice some yoga poses as I wait for the scene to evolve.  By seven-thirty I am throughly chilled, the geese have silenced, and the campground noises behind me and through the woods begin to invade my consciousness. Now the full range is illuminated, but the spell is broken.  I pack up my gear and rush back to the warm camper for some hot coffee and breakfast.


Grand Teton Range in morning light

From 2011 Summer Trip

Mount Moran from Oxbow bend - Snake River

From 2011 Summer Trip

Cascade Canyon

From 2011 Summer Trip

Moose family in Cascade Canyon - (taking collections for a bigger lens)
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From 2011 Summer Trip

Hiking in Cascade Canyon - towering walls of the Teton Range above us on each side

From 2011 Summer Trip

From 2011 Summer Trip

From 2011 Summer Trip