Torched

Three days of straight dumping rain, this was day two of that. My goodness it did not stop. I ended up "camping" near this spot in my vehicle, not totally legally but nonetheless, I got up the next morning and hiked up the Baring Creek Trail just outside of Saint Mary Lake, hoping to see something come out of the heavy clouds. After hiking for an hour or so, in heavy rain, I came upon this old burn of White Pine trees, a dying breed of forests in Glacier National Park. I photographed this forest for quite some time, feeling kind of eerie; falling rain, strong wind, otherwise silent, my car being the only one at the trailhead. The issue with strong winds and rain is that the scent of myself and sound I make would likely not be heard or smelt from a grizzly bear, so I had to be on high alert, or I thought I had to be at least. I hiked up another mile or so, my hands absolutely frozen, to the point that I couldn't press my shutter in order to take a picture. But, at a waterfall, I stood there for hours photographing moving fog on high mountain peaks. What a good and wet time in Glacier National Park. Montana 2021