Breakthrough – 2022

It was our last morning, and the forecast was for snow and cloud cover throughout the Alberta mountain parks. One of the weather models suggested that there could be a small opening around the Banff townsite mid-morning, but we weren’t hopeful to experience any epic morning light. Regardless, we didn’t travel all that way to sit in our Airbnb until our noon check-out, so we planned to make a morning of it hunting bubbles on Lake Minnewanka.

After a small sleep-in, we drove out pre-dawn, arrived, threw on our ice cleats, and hiked out a couple of kilometres to where the ice was clear of snow. As the ice was revealed, we anxiously looked for bubbles, but the further we went, the more it became evident that we weren’t experiencing anything incredible. We all settled in to explore different abstracts in the ice. Andrew and I finished up what we were doing and started slowly hiking back to the vehicle. Eric was a bit further behind, tweaking his composition, but by mid-morning, all of us had all but made it back to the car as the snow started falling, covering the ice.

At that moment, some of the best light and atmosphere descended on the mountains around us. In a panic, we scattered and shot in every direction as the light and cloud moved across mountain peaks over the next hour and a half. Before too long, it was time to actually pack up and get back to our Airbnb so we wouldn’t miss our checkout. Unfortunately, that meant leaving some of the best light we had seen on the trip behind as we left the mountain park. Thankfully, we were able to experience and capture several photographs that morning, this being one of mine.

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