Experience The Mountain Parks Blog
...all about the Alberta-to-British Columbia mountain parks, including life in and around the parks. Not all our news and stories are here, though, so you might want to check our news section and Bob's "tweets" —conveniently placed in the upper right of each page.
And the second place in the Wildlife & Flowers category goes to...
Yu Liu, of Calgary, Alberta, submitted this shot called "Foxy, Waterton Lkanes National Park, Alberta, September 23, 2012".
Yu won a portable campfire courtesy of Campfire In A Can with an approximate retail value of $330.
Congrats Yu!
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(Wild)Life in Banff, Jasper, Waterton or any other Canadian Rockies town
We, at Experience The Mountain Parks, thought it would be worth showing you this video as a reminder. You might think: "Hold on a sec, I wouldn't do this!". Fair enough, but some of you might have seen it done, or might see it done though, and this video wasn't staged, it's real life!
A BBC video shot over the summer in the town of Estes, Colorado, U.S.A., is showing rutting male elk, so fired up they invade the streets and charge at the tourists.
Remember, this "wildlife/humans issue" is easily transferable in the Canadian Rockies, in towns like Banff, Jasper or Waterton, just to name a few.
Please act safely, animals in National Parks are wild, and you should treat wildlife with respect for their and your own safety. Please keep the wildlife wild!
Check this reminder from Banff National Park staff about Elk/Human safety.
On the same topic, one of our contributors Michael Kerr wrote for us some time ago two stories on wild animals:
- Minding your Manners and
- Lifestyles of the Wild and Famous.
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A Year Round Scenic Heritage Experience You Don't Want to Miss
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Enrich your knowledge; learn about the achievements and legacies of the David Thompson Bicentennial
Landscape and history are interconnected. For 350 years, rivers were the highways for the fur trade - an exchange by Aboriginal peoples of furs (especially beaver) and bison pemmican for European goods such as fabrics, pots and guns. After crossing the continent by dogsled and canoe the furs continued, via ship, to Great Britain to be made into hats and other fashion items.
Two hundred years ago this trade crossed the Rockies through the efforts of David Thompson (1770 - 1857). Thompson was the greatest chronicler of his day of landscapes, peoples and nature. There is growing awareness that he is the most under-recognized figure in Canadian history.
Although David Thompson is usually categorized as a fur trader and explorer, he was in fact a multifaceted and complex man. He overcame numerous challenges to rise from rags to riches, only to return to poverty and obscurity.
From an impoverished childhood in Westminster, England, David became a successful fur trader in the wilds of North America. Over a 28 year career he travelled and surveyed 100,000 km by foot, canoe and horseback. In the process he established two commercially viable routes across the Rockies, Howse Pass and Athabasca Pass. In proving the Columbia River navigable, he completed the last leg of the long sought Inland Northwest Passage that connected the Montréal trade to the Pacific. His route from the northern plains to the ocean was used for more than 40 years.
During his travels he was often accompanied by Charlotte Small, his Cree/Scottish wife, with whom he fathered 13 children (five in the wilderness). Their 58 year marriage is a great Canadian love story.
Thompson was unequalled as a surveyor. After retiring from the fur trade he converted his years of surveys into maps. His famous map of the Province of Canada covered four million square kilometres (1/6) of the continent, with unprecedented accuracy and became the basis for other maps depicting much of Canada and the United States until the 20th century. For a decade after the War of 1812 he was the official surveyor for 1,600 km of the newly established international boundary.
The bicentennial of David Thompson’s trans-mountain activities (1807-1811) has inspired a far reaching commemoration of the man and related history. Beginning in 2002, a grassroots network of educators, artists, writers, historians, surveyors, environmentalists and paddlers have created hundreds of commemorative projects across Canada, the north western states to Britain.
- Protection for 69,456 hectares of heritage landscapes
- 4 voyageur canoe brigades covering a combined 5500 km of waterways and involving 850 participants
- More than 200 events and re-enactments
- Recognition of Charlotte Small as a person of national historic significance
- Recognition of the Columbia Express as a national historic event
- 6 academic conferences
- 3 archaeological projects
- 6 documentaries (including PBS and BBC)
- 24 books (2 more are on the way)
- Educational resources across western Canada and the northwestern states
- A national Thompson Award for surveying excellence
- Statues of David and Charlotte Thompson in Invermere, British Columbia
- Museum exhibits in many communities
- Thompson inspired artworks
- Expansion of Howse Pass and Athabasca Pass National Historic Sites
Third from top; Black powder salute at Rocky Mountain House, AB for 2008 David Thompson Brigade – Photo courtesy of Ross MacDonald
Bottom; Voyageur canoe on Columbia River – Photo courtesy of Ross MacDonald
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Learn the secrets of photography mastery
Some of you might remember his name, Darren Robinson. He was nominated 2010 Contest Winner, Early Bird Category, with the submitted photo shown below.
That's no surprise when one knows Darren has been captivated by the art of photography for decades, and his passion for nature and outdoors lead him to have his shots featured in many tourism-based marketing materials in B.C. and Alberta.
So, you want to get better at photography, even master it? Then you don't want to miss this unique opportunity, enroll in his photography workshop, August 3, 4 and 5, 2012, space is very limited. You want to act now.
You'll learn to take better photographs in an iconic B.C. mountain playground. if you join Darren, you'll spend three days gaining the skills, techniques and knowledge necessary to vastly improve your imagery. You'll start honing your skills with presentations and workshops on camera functions, composition, lighting, accessories, and working with subjects. Then, you’ll head out into mountain wilderness for some hands-on learning experiences at one of the most breathtaking locations in Canada as well as one of the most secluded mountain playgrounds in the world; The Purcells!
By the way, price is $1999 per person and does include the following:
- Three full days of workshops and field instruction in The Purcells
- Three nights accommodation at the Purcell Mountain Lodge
- All meals
- Return helicopter transportation to lodge from Golden, B.C.
- Prizes
Get all information by downloading this PDF.
Darren Robinson 2012 Photography Workshop in The Purcells (792 KB)
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- 2012/2013 Photos/Videos Contest
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- Please be patient...
