I had shivered myself to sleep for the past several nights. Miles from anything and ensconced in the tall pines camp had been cold and snowy. My efforts to photograph the elk migration in the Grand Teton National Park had gone well. In fact, it had gone so well, I was on the hunt for some other animals to photograph, namely, the bighorn sheep. In 2009, when my dad and I were camping in the park, I remember catching a glimpse of one bounding along some rocky outcrop. The vision was strong in my mind and I wanted to capture these powerful animals on my camera. Determined for success, I had driven deep into the wilderness on forest service roads hoping to catch a glimpse on my daily hikes.
My enthusiasm was not rewarded though. Instead, I spent many hours trudging through icy rocks and looking through my telephoto lens for any sign of the horned animal. While the hiking was spectacular and just being in the area was a real win, I couldn’t help but feel a sting of defeat as I shivered myself to sleep anxiously awaiting the point when my sleeping bag would not feel like an ice coffin. Those of you who wintertime camp know what I’m talking about. As I drifted off, I resolved to be hopeful and not give up. “Maybe I’ll just get lucky,” I thought to myself.
The morning found my sleeping bag frozen to the windows of the car, a hazard when you have no insulation for your sleeping situation. After summoning the courage to leave the comfort of my warm sleeping bag, I put on my cold weather gear and made coffee after I boiled some water from the river. A few days prior, my water supply ran out, and so a river became my hydration source which made for some really delicious coffee. As I sipped the hot, bitter liquid, I reflected on all the wonderful hikes over the last days, and how much gratitude I felt to have national parks to explore.
Too soon, the coffee was finished, and the sun was just starting its work. Mulling over the idea of just one more scouting hike to see if the sheep could be found, I decided against it, and instead, opted to venture into town for some provisions. While I kept a positive spin, it still felt like a defeat. After so much success with the elk, and even seeing the first baby bison in Gardiner Montana, how could I miss out on the bighorn sheep? But again, I reminded myself there would always be another chance.
With a turn of the key, Ethel roared to life, and we headed down the forest service road for our several hours drive back to civilization. Led Zeppelin was playing and my camera with the 600mm lens was riding in the passenger seat as we carefully navigated the rocky road. Just as “Black Dog,” came blasting through the speakers and I sang the refrain, “gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove!” I almost drive right into a bighorn sheep. I slammed on the brakes, the camera went flying, and the big animal calmly stared back at me as it slowly walked to the side of the road. I was stunned!
Luckily, my composure returned, I grabbed my camera, rolled down the window and started taking pictures. For days, I had hiked in the cold difficult terrain to find the exact critter which was now staring into my lens with an ambivalent eye. Having only the telephoto lens made the process really tough, but it worked out to be a portrait session and I was so happy to have the opportunity to even see a sheep, much less the chance to take photos from 15 feet away. The animals didn’t stay long though. After a few minutes of curious glances towards my rapidly firing shutter, and the white SUV, they walked off the steep ledge and disappeared.
My main takeaways from the encounter are these:
1. When singing Led Zeppelin in the car, always do so with your eyes open.
2. River water makes crazy good water.
3. You need to be close to take advantage of luck. If you’re on a mission, always give yourself the ability to complete it. In this case, I had my camera ready for action. If the camera would have been anywhere else besides right behind me, the moment would have passed.
This was another trip in the Tetons National Park, and it was amazing. I cannot believe how lucky we are to have wonderful lands like this which are for all of us! Be sure to get out there and explore, and always have your camera ready.
