My visit to my most favorite park of the National Park system (so far) started as an off the cuff conversation at a friends barbecue. Pretty soon, I found a trio of folks with whom to head to my 15th park on perhaps its most crowded day of the year. But because it was the early 2009, long before social media had drawn thousands of people to the great outdoors, the vast park never felt crowded.

I remember being awed by the breathtaking mountainscape around me as we drove along perhaps one of the most spectacular park roads in the nation. From above the low treeline rose towering snow-capped peaks that dropped down to graceful glacier-carved canyons draped in a lush green meadow filled with summer wildflowers. Every inch and every minute of hiking in this alpine terrain made me feel like I was in the Swiss Alps. And even though glaciers were few are far inbetween, the mark it has left on the landscape will forever enthrall park visitors and photographers alike.

With most of the mountains and valleys facing east, sunrises were always worthwhile to wake up for and shoot. I still remember one particular morning where a quick pre-dawn squall soaked all our gear, but left behind a spectacular landscape in glorious morning light. This is one take of the light on the east face of the continental divide.

Glacier National Park
MT USA