Canoeing the Milk River

Badlands, Camping, Canoeing
Friday, January 4th, 2019

Milk River near Poverty Rock

The Milk River near Poverty Rock with the Sweetgrass Hills in the background.

The Milk River is in the extreme south of Alberta – it flows from the US and back into the US. But there is a spectacular stretch in Alberta that’s definitely worth canoeing. This is a shallow river where you want to be really skilled at dodging rocks though. And there are a few big rapids although you might not expect them given the leisurely flow of much of the trip.

Just Anna and I went on this trip in early summer – it was a chance to spend time together before I left for the arctic.

No posts for a while again as I’m off on another few weeks of trips.

Milk River

We started off from the town of Milk River with a couple of beautiful warm days.

Milk River

Hoodoos started showing up as we got close to Writing on Stone Provincial Park.

Milk River

The soft prairie landscapes were so peaceful.

Milk River

We did get a solid day of rain as we left Writing on Stone Provincial Park – still beautiful but cold.

Milk River

The rain cleared up for our final campsite and left us with quite a sunset.

Milk River

Still a few showers here and there.

Milk River

The variety of rock formations is fascinating.

Milk River

Sunset and sage brush.

Milk River

We scared this guy on our final day as he was having a drink in the river.

Arctic Spring Flowers

Camping, Flowers, Macro, Plants, Tundra
Monday, December 17th, 2018

Lapland Rosebay and Arctic Bell Heather

In late June the flowers in the Arctic were just starting to bloom, there was still ice on all the lakes and snow in many valleys. Lapland Rosebay (Rhododendron lapponicum) was one of the first flowers, with bright pink blossoms. By the end of our trip in July, the Rosebay was done and a host of other flowers had taken its place.

In this picture you can also see Arctic Bell Heather (Cassiope tetragona) in the background.

Sunlight

Camping, Canoeing, Landscape, Photo of the Day, Travel, Tundra
Saturday, December 15th, 2018

Camped for the evening on the south shore of Cave Lake on the Hood River, Nunavut. If you look closely you can see tents on the bottom right.

Sitting at home writing this in the evening, I’m wondering about this place now. I wonder if there would be a glow of lights on the horizon from a distant mine or if it would be the complete darkness I imagine. Although complete darkness isn’t accurate – there would be stars and reflected light from the moon – all reflected off a sea of endless snow.

When I was there in late June it was light all the time. The night was one long sunset/sunrise. People ask me if I had trouble sleeping – not at all. It was a tiring trip and I usually fell asleep quickly, but I really wished I had energy to explore the area at night. Sometimes we would go on hikes until around midnight and the sun was still up. But mornings came early, and with them the constant work of camp life and paddling.

Backlog from 2018

Business, Camping, Canoeing, Landscape
Wednesday, December 12th, 2018

A red fox kit near Cave Lake in Nunavut

Hey! It’s been a long time – I really need a social media manager or something. I’ve been all over the place since I last updated: the Milk River in Alberta, the Hood River in Nunavut, Jolly, Courageous, and MacKay Lakes in NWT, the North Saskatchewan River from Rocky Mountain House to Drayton Valley, rural Montana, and Golden BC – those are the ones that come to mind at the moment. I hope to get a bunch of new photos in the store within the next month or so. I’m so far behind on going through photos it will take me a while to catch up, and the official jobs always get priority. I’ll leave you with just a teaser of what’s to come.

Oh, and the Royal Alberta Museum is now open and it’s great! You can see my photos in the Human History room on the main floor (the large ones in the middle) and surrounding the Manitou Stone upstairs (the stairs right by the main entrance before you get to admissions).

The photo is from the headwaters of the Hood River in Nunavut. We left in June and there was still a lot of ice on the lakes that far north. One smaller plane (a Cessna Caravan) went ahead to scout for open water which we needed because the planes were both on floats. A little later the rest of us (there were 12 on this trip) piled into a Twin Otter and flew north. There was a bay on the south side of Cave Lake that was free of ice, so we landed there. As we were taxiing up to shore, I caught a glimpse of a fox watching us. Unloading the plane was a flurry of activity as there was three weeks of food to unload along with all our personal gear and some pack canoes. As we were building the pack canoes, we could see the foxes peering over the edge of a bank watching us. I’m sure we were a curiosity – there are not a lot of people up there. This is the lighter colored kit, there was another that was a bit darker and more shy, and we watched the parents trot off to hunt siksiks (which I’m sure I’ll post pictures of at some point here).

Focusing

Photo of the Day
Thursday, May 24th, 2018

Cutting a hole in the lake ice for drinking water. Taken in Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area.

I haven’t posted here for a while now. If you’ve been following me on Instagram or Facebook, I haven’t been there either. What’s up?

A bunch of things. I’ve been on many different journeys lately. I’ve been moderately successful trying to spend more time in the natural world with people and rivers and trees and a little less on my computer or phone. I’ve also been spending more time learning. Focusing. I don’t mean to say these things can’t be compatible with an online presence, but for me lately it has been helpful to take a break. And I will be continuing to take a break. This summer I will be canoeing in the arctic for two months – on the Hood River and MacKay Lake! But I won’t be live-blogging or checking messages. I hope to do a lot of photography and maybe some video up there, but the focus will be the people I’m with and the learning and research I’ll be doing.

I’ll leave a few photos from some of the adventures I’ve been on over the last few months. There has been some photography trips for the Royal Alberta Museum, some really cold snowshoeing, some winter camping, some spring camping, and quite a bit of canoeing which will continue throughout the summer. I hope you have your own adventures planned – anything from walks in the park to epic expeditions. Even looking at pictures of nature (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4690962/) can lower stress levels, but nothing compares to actually immersing yourself in it.

Sunset over Medicine Lake in Jasper.

Taking pictures for the Royal Alberta Museum in dreadfully cold weather.

Poplars and willows reflected in spring floodwaters.

The Rockies in winter.

Sleeping under the stars at -20. Yes, there’s someone in there.

The joy of a fire in winter.

Clear lake ice.

Warm winter camping at -40.

Swamps are perfect for winter camping – lots of firewood and easily accessible.

Winter camping is a lot of work – cutting firewood, thawing food, finding or melting water, stamping down the snow under your tent, setting up camp, and staying on top of wearing the right layers depending on how hard you’re currently working.

Opening up the water hole in the morning – 4 inches of ice had formed overnight.

A curious whitetail deer.

A herd of Bighorn Sheep in Sheep River Provincial Park – how appropriate.

Getting a little tippy at Devil’s Elbow on the North Saskatchewan River. They saved this one though.

New Stuff!

Galleries and Shows, Photo of the Day
Monday, October 16th, 2017

Tix on the Square has a completely new batch of stuff from me. They have new prints if you’ve been and haven’t found what you’re looking for. They also now have cards, postcards, and some new jewelry for you to check out (cufflinks are back, and there are some new earrings and cuffs).

Also, updated galleries for this website are on their way. Watch for those in a week or so!

Classes & Kaleido

Business, Classes, Water
Thursday, September 14th, 2017

This weekend is Kaleido Festival on 118 Ave, and I’ll be there with lots of new prints! I also have greeting cards for the first time in a few years – I know people have been asking for them for a while.

On Sunday I’m teaching a Mastering Your SLR class in Edmonton – there is still space! Head over to Threaded Studio to sign up online or visit me at Kaleido on Friday or Saturday to get a discount!

Taken in southern California.

Plants: Wild Rose

Forest, Macro, Plants
Tuesday, August 22nd, 2017

The wild rose or prickly rose will be familiar to almost everyone who goes outside in Canada. They are the common source of pain when walking through undergrowth and the small thorns will get stuck in socks and pants for days after. But the flowers are a beautiful pink – especially brilliant when they are just buds and softening in color as they open up. When the flower is gone, a rose hip is produced. When it is ripe it turns bright red or orange. The skin of rose hips is edible and rich in vitamin C (although to me it doesn’t taste that good). It can be made into tea, jam or jelly. But don’t eat the seeds inside. They are not poisonous but have many little hairs that cause itching – if ingested the itching is usually felt on the way out.

Wild rose leaves provide a beautiful color palette in fall when they start to turn – from yellow across the spectrum through orange and red to dark purple and even a bluish green sometimes.

Come Visit At Folkfest

Badlands, Galleries and Shows, Photo of the Day
Thursday, August 10th, 2017

If you are lucky enough to be going to Edmonton Folk Fest this year, you should come say hi at my booth! I have lots of new prints, new styles of jewelry, and some new postcards I’m trying out. The market is open Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Chipmunk visiting me in Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park
210mm, f4, 1/400 of a second

Plants: Wild Mint

Flowers, Forest, Macro, Marshes, Plants
Monday, July 24th, 2017

I thought people might find it interesting to see some of the plants I regularly come across while hiking. This is wild mint. It is usually found in damp or swampy areas. Sometimes I smell it before I see it but it is especially potent when you pick a leaf and crunch it up under your nose. It is sometimes hard to see from a distance because it is usually shorter than the reeds or grass surrounding it. You can identify it by the smell, but to make sure it’s actually mint, check that it has a squarish stem and the leaves are on opposite sides of the stem. It makes a very nice tea!

Taken near Crimson Lake, AB
40mm, f2.8, 1/60 of a second