Uploads from bk.dogge, with geodata

Dressed in Red

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:03:49 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

Happy Holidanes

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:54:25 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

Black & Blue

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:17:09 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

Paradise for my Soul

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:51:49 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

It’s always easier coming back down than going up… or something like that. It took us about an hour to storm the final 2 kilometer vertical ascent to reach the summit of Mt. Borgeau and only 15 minutes to descend the same distance.

I liked the clouds coming in on this picture and it was one of the very few places for a half decent shot on Borgeau’s north face. It was also probably the only image I took that day where perspective wise I was somewhat able to capture and do a little bit of justice towards the steep vertical grade of the mountain while actually on it.

Mt. Borgeau Summit

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:35:13 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

I’m not really happy with the way this one turned out I think mostly due to the snow cornice hanging off the mountain in the bottom of the frame. No matter which way I attempted to frame and compose this image, it refused to cooperate. I’ll have an opportunity to go back and get more captures of this spectacular summit next spring/summer, so all is not lost.

This picture is taken looking east off the 2931 m (9615 ft) summit of Mt. Borgeau in Banff National Park. Elevation gain for the day was a cool 1530 m (5018 ft). In the center-right of the frame, highway 1 - also referred to as the Trans-Canada highway, can be seen running alongside the Bow River. It is easy to waste a couple hours up here identifying significant peaks due to the spacious summit that provides a 360 degree panorama.

Come Out .. Come Out

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:42:13 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

According to a sign before the Citadel Pass trail-head, the alpine meadows in this area are home to an extensive network of underground tunnel systems built by their furry rodent mammal inhabitants; Pikas and Marmots in this case.

Tempted with the endless source of potential playmates along with her insistence of saying “hi” to them, I let Boots temporarily have her wish. They would pop up and call out to her before scurrying back down into their tunnels followed closely behind by Boots’ excited nose; truly an ‘enter at your own risk’ type of adventure.

Super Bowl Sunday

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 13:20:19 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

Boots on her perch anticipating the big game today between the Ravens & Niners.

Light and Shadow

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:26:27 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

On this day, I was trying to play around with some side-lighting using my 50mm. This is the southwest edge of the Rockies, just a few miles east of the Radium Hot springs in Kootenay National Park, and to say that summer is noticeably hotter in these ranges is a considerable understatement. The mercury that day danced around +30 (86F). It was blazing hot and we didn’t see nary a cloud in the sky.

We chose the Kindersley-Sinclair Col trail; a rare loop hike. It’s always such a pleasant treat not having to retrace your steps. Being in treeline for a large portion of the day provides a nice reprieve against the blistering heat but there are a couple of lengthy stretches where exposed ridges subject you to whatever Mother Nature decides to conjure up; sunburn on this day.

From the col, two options await; a 125m summit overlooking Nixon Creek (the way home) or a ridgecrest that plummets towards Nixon Pass. The latter affords better panorama views so we chose it but both can be accomplished in a 1 hr round trip.

Distance – 20 km (12.5m) Elevation Gain – 1200m (3937ft)

The Helpful Guide

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:03:41 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

Cairns, usually positioned in the image of an Inuksuk in Canada, are used as landmarks in order to mark a trail. We saw this guy in late October of 2009 along the Bow Hut trail and I had to snap a shot.

Bow Hut is an alpine base that serves as a camp for the many mountaineering expeditions in the area. It’s only about a 8 kilometer (5 mile) trek from the highway… which wouldn’t be such a bad stroll in the summer or fall with decent weather but we got hit with a really early winter that year and trails that usually don’t see a significant amount of snow until mid-late November saw it in early October. We found ourselves faced with trailbreaking through a good couple feet of powder which, as you can guess, slowed us down considerably.

Should have attached a mini snowplow behind Boots that day.

Wikipedia states – “Placed at regular intervals, a series of cairns can be used to indicate a path across stony or barren terrain, even across glaciers. Such cairns are often placed at junctions or in places where the trail direction is not obvious, and may also be used to indicate an obscured danger, such as a sudden drop, or a noteworthy point such as the summit of a mountain. Most trail cairns are small, a foot or less in height, but may be built taller so as to protrude through a layer of snow. Hikers passing by often add a stone, as a small bit of maintenance to counteract the erosive effects of severe weather.”

Fierce Determination

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:45:40 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

A worthwhile Vista

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:04:19 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

It may be a little cliché to say, but Boots is definitely in her element here. The smells, the sights and the sounds keep her busy for hours on end and the scenery seems to stir her soul as it does mine. I am extremely fortunate to have a hiking partner that genuinely seems to enjoy herself more than I do on these excursions.

The focus on this one, also taken on the summit of Mt. Borgeau in Banff National Park, shows Boots taking the time to enjoy her exquisite reward for an incredibly hard day’s work.

Approaching Storm

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:01:23 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

The day began with a forecast of only 7 degrees Celsius (44 Farenheit) and an 80 percent chance of showers. This front moved in on us just after leaving Citadel Pass in the late afternoon. Up until this point, the day had been rather pleasant with a mixture of brief sunny breaks and overcast weather throughout most of our hike.

We still faced 15.8 kilometers (9.8 miles) to the SUV and being stuck in alpine meadow became a little worrying. We managed to avoid this actual system but later on, about an hour later, got hit by a second storm cell that dumped a ferocious ice storm on our poor unsheltered souls.

A Well Deserved Rest

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:49:20 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

Resting under a tree below the southwest face of Citadel Peak after arriving at Citadel Pass; the total elevation gain for the day - 1220 meters (4003 ft), the total one-way distance for the day - 15.8 kilometers (9.8 miles).

At the pass we were the prime target of a rather bothersome horse fly, wherever we moved it followed. After a few futile attempts at swatting the annoying bugger, it turned its attention to Boots and wound up on the wrong end of a deadly chomp. We did this hike outside of the wildflower growing season which lasts just a month from mid-July thru mid-August and affords a splendid display of western chaliceflower and fireweed.

Patiently Waiting II

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:48:39 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo:

Boots, if she could talk, is probably saying “Not again” here. She likes to keep moving until we reach our destination and is never very impressed when I pull out the camera to take a shot.

Background center is the false summit of little Fatigue and its connecting ridge. Fatigue Mountain is out of frame. On this day we didn’t have the time or energy to entertain tackling either goal. Later in the day upon making our return trip through the same meadow, we got hit with a really nasty ice storm. With nowhere to hide it was a little bit of a harrowing experience.

Who are you?

nobody@flickr.com (bk.dogge) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:23:11 -0800

bk.dogge posted a photo: