Mike Cavaroc Photography

Marmot in the Alaska Basin

cavaroc — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:37:26 +0000

A marmot braces against a rock for balance in the Alaska Basin of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

While up in the Alaska Basin, we saw a flurry of smaller wildlife in the forms of pika and marmots, such as this one that offered to pose for us. Both marmots and pika are found throughout the higher elevations of the Teton Mountains with marmots going as far down as the base of the mountains themselves. During the winter they live in burrows underneath boulders or rocks living off of much of the fat that they’ve built up in the fall as well as anything they managed to store up.

It’s only September 1st as of this posting, but you can bet that with plenty of snow falling on the Tetons today that they’ll be busy building up their fat and storing plenty of food.

Hiker in the Alaska Basin Under Moonlight

cavaroc — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:28:03 +0000

A near full moon lights up the Alaska Basin as a camper admires the view nearby her tent.

Having another person along with me for the hike into the Alaska Basin was a little unusual. I typically do much of my hiking alone so having someone else nearby at all times got me a little inspired to try some new things. I’ve got several shots with her as the subject, including this one just before we called it a day. She was very cooperative with me as I experimented on a shooting a subject I don’t normally have the opportunity to do.

With the moon casting a halo in the clouds above, she participated quite well as she stayed still during this entire exposure. As beautiful as the Alaska Basin is during the day, there’s something very magical and peaceful about it at night.

Wildflowers and Boulders of the Alaska Basin

cavaroc — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:00:14 +0000

Dusk settles over arnica sunflowers and boulders in the Alaska Basin of the Teton Mountains.

While in the Alaska Basin last week up in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness of the Teton Mountains, we were treated to a nice sunset as some higher clouds began lighting up above the landscape. In addition to the large variety of wildflower displays that were out in the area, there were also many boulders which provided a natural barrier to the Alaska Basin Lakes. Some of the lakes are leftover from snow melt, others are fed by creeks coming from the peaks surrounding the basin. In virtually every patch of grass in between the boulders and rock poking out of the ground were wildflowers. A nice treat was also a three-quarter moon making an appearance over the southern peaks.

Wildflowers in the Alaska Basin of the Teton Mountains

cavaroc — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:59:28 +0000

Showy Daisy wildflowers flourish among other wildflowers in the Alaska Basin of the Teton Mountains.

Earlier this week myself and another hiker headed out into the Alaska Basin for the first time. While still in the Teton Mountains, it’s technically just outside of the National Park located inside the Jedediah Smith Wilderness bordering the western edge of the park. August has been described as the best time to go for the dramatic wildflowers displays.

We hiked into the Alaska Basin via the Static Peak Divide through Grand Teton National Park on August 18th and while the wildflowers were on the decline, they were still out in amazing displays! It was almost as if Jackson Pollock was painting from the sky in purples, reds, blues and yellows on a canvas of green. It’s an incredibly dynamic place with an obvious abundance of wildflowers surrounded by enormous peaks, all pouring water into the basin.

2010 Perseid Meteor Shower Over Jackson Hole, Wyoming

cavaroc — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:30:17 +0000

Perseid Meteors streak across the Milky Way Galaxy above Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The Perseid Meteor Shower put on a great show this year! A couple of nights before the peak, I went out to Shadow Mountain in Bridger-Teton National Forest to watch the show. I was surprised by the amount of light pollution coming from Jackson, but it luckily didn’t deter from a beautifully dark sky farther north. I was able to catch two meteors in this particular shot. One is visible streaking across the Milky Way Galaxy, another, a little more faint, is just beneath that almost perpendicular to it.

Did you get any shots of the meteors? Let’s see them!

Red Fox in a Campfire Pit

cavaroc — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:47:57 +0000

A red fox searches for food in a campfire pit in Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming.

Life’s been pretty busy lately so as an opportunity to get away for a bit and also to potentially catch a few meteors from the Perseid Meteor Shower this year, I headed out to Shadow Mountain to do a little camping. While I was setting up my tent, right behind me I heard a crunching sound. Naturally, since it was almost completely silent outside, I was a little startled. Upon turning around, however, I saw this little red fox staring at me, sometimes coming up close enough for me to reach out and pet (which I didn’t – I believe in keeping wildlife wild).

I couldn’t quite make out what he was eating off of the ground considering the only thing I saw were rocks, but it definitely had a distinct crunch about it and there wasn’t any other signs of life large enough to make that much noise where he was picking up things to eat. Regardless, I followed him to the next campsite at which point I got this shot where he began scouring in a campfire pit for some leftovers that might have gotten dropped.

Blacktail Ponds in Grand Teton National Park

cavaroc — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:30:14 +0000

Water flows toward the Snake River in the Blacktail Ponds on Grand Teton National Park.

While driving north along Highway 89 in Grand Teton National Park, it’s hard not to give all your attention to the west where the massive east face of the Tetons rise out of the valley floor. While setting up for sunrise the other day at Blacktail Ponds, one of the many pullouts to appreciate the dramatic view, I found for a short while at least, that the view to the north was actually much more interesting than the obvious view to the west. I wound up catching several different shots shooting north before the sun eventually began rising on the Teton Mountains. Yet another example in my array of shots that prove that the main subject you were originally intending to shoot might not be the most interesting.

Sunrise Over Blacktail Ponds in Grand Teton National Park

cavaroc — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:54:26 +0000

Water flows toward the Snake River in the Blacktail Ponds as the rising sun hits the Teton Mountains.

My body insisted on staying in bed this morning, but it had been a while since I caught a good sunrise and I was determined to force myself to get out of bed. I headed up to Blacktail Ponds in Grand Teton National Park and rather than sticking to the overlook, I headed down into the ponds and slushed through a path to capture this photo, among many others.

Sure a bed can be extremely cozy, especially when you’re waking up early and haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep. Sleep, however, can be caught up on. Sunrises like this don’t repeat themselves. Just keep that in mind.

Northern Lights Over the Snake River and Jackson Hole, Wyoming

cavaroc — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:53:04 +0000

The Snake River flows through Jackson Hole beneath the Milky Way and Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights.

Last night there was a nice display of Northern Lights on the northern horizon of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Wanting some water in my shot, I headed over to the Wilson Boat Launch along the Snake River outside of Jackson, Wyoming to catch it. While I wasn’t able to get the compositions I was quite hoping for, I was pleased with the results that I did come away with. Depending on the time of year and conditions, I’m tempted to do a short hike somewhere for the next time.

While the Aurora Borealis are pretty regularly on display in Canada and Alaska, there’s occasionally a solar flare from the sun that, when aimed just right, will push them down into the northern United States, and on rarer occasions even further south. This is the third time I’ve seen the Northern Lights since moving to Jackson, Wyoming and all times they’ve been on the northern horizon.

Marmot in Grand Teton National Park

cavaroc — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:03:50 +0000

A marmot peers over boulders in Glacier Gulch of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.

On my way back down from Delta Lake last week, I was on the lookout for some new pika shots since the route back takes you through a large boulder field in Glacier Gulch of Grand Teton National Park. It’s the perfect place to find both pika and marmots thriving. While I wasn’t able to come away with any pika shots like I was hoping, I did catch this curious little marmot scrambling around nearby. He went through a number of different poses, and this was the one that I enjoyed the most.