When It Was Film, Part I

Mountain Goat in the High Pass                      Date Unknown, 1993

Rain clouds hung low in the Rockies for weeks on end. Each day, the rain that had fallen would simply evaporate back into the mix, form low clouds, and condense back out into another rain.  Cindy and I had hiked through endless rains and ankle deep mud, surprising wet and cold mule deer in the Bob Marshall wilderness and seeking shelter under old, ragged, leaning fir trees along the Flathead River.  

The day this image was made, we had left the trails of the Bob Marshall for more comfortable conditions in Glacier National Park.  It took only a few hours for the wet cold to wear off and the hunger for close quarter adventures with wild places and big animals to return.  While hiking a spur trail, this mountain goat suddenly appeared from the fog, only to be wrapped up and lost again in a clouded mist.  We played "cat and mouse" for the longest time, wispy arms of fog reaching out and obscuring us from each other.  Eventually, I made a move in anticipation of where I thought the goat would appear.  I was right, and she nearly walked into my lap.  As the clouds parted, she walked down the goat trail to a running stream for a drink.  

This image was made using a Canon EOS Elan and Canon 100-300 kit lens. It was hand-held with Kodachrome 200 film.