After the Fire

Abstracts, Yes!

Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

Fire!

As part of a group tour in Alberta, we visited Banff, Jasper and Waterton Lakes National Parks. I had heard of Banff and Jasper however was surprised to find out there was a third national park south of Calgary. Waterton Lakes is now my ‘go to’ park when I visit Alberta. Fewer crowds, wildlife, birds, and amazing landscapes. Many of the landscapes are burnt from the 2018 wildfires and are not your typical landscapes.

To see the destruction of these forests is heartbreaking and now that some regrowth is happening, the real story is one of survival. Waterton Lakes is coming back!

I was mesmerized by the trees - the stark black trunks, grey ash and the broken branches - if you ignored the reality of what had caused this, so much beauty was in the patterns and chaos.

One of my favourite roads in the park is named ‘Red Rock Parkway’. Here you can find waterfalls winding their way down the steep cliffs and so close to the roads that you feel you could just reach out and touch the water. There are a lot of red rocks!!

On my first trip, I didn’t drive and it was probably a good thing I was a passenger otherwise I might still be there! We had a schedule to keep and while it made sure that we saw what we had come to see, it also meant a return trip. I knew I had to come back on to photograph what I was seeing.

This image was created in camera by combining several images in one resulting image. Then the colours were enhanced in Photoshop.

Waterton National Lakes Park is a national treasure and one that is becoming even more popular for photographers as the secret is out! Several photo workshops are sprouting up and they take you to special locations for the best vantage points.

And it is windy! My last trip in February was in the middle of a wind alert and they weren’t kidding! One hundred and thirty kilometre winds are strong and I went back to my hotel - I had visions of trees falling on my rental vehicle - yikes!