December 6, 2023

On my gap year before starting college, I had a very clearcut schedule I was very excited for. Unfortunately, due to some conflict, my schedule was turned upside down for a few months. Luckily, my friend, Evan and I had a backup plan: Roadtrip.

Over the span of 5 weeks, we drove from North Carolina to Wyoming and back, enjoying college campuses, camping, and national parks. While we visited his future school in Boulder, CO, we looked towards our next spots. The idea of Yellowstone in the winter always intrigued me so I began to look into the logistics. It would be somewhat risky and a big detour, as it was quite out of the way of our intended path. We were also worried about the snowy weather and the risk of getting our car stuck in snow in a remote area without any help. After much deliberating, we decided to do it, driving long hours across open roads and finally making it to Gardiner, MT. Our first day, we didn’t have much luck with the wildlife but on our second day, it was bison galore.

As we drove through the Lamar Valley, we noticed a herd of bison on the other side of the Lamar river. The light was nice and soft, and the mountains were standing pretty with a new dusting of snow. We quickly pulled the car over on a shoulder and I grabbed my camera, jogging down the road to make it in time to see the herd cross. I had a vision of the photos I could get, and quickly stumbled my way down to the river banks. I began shooting from the side of the river.

After a minute, I checked my shots. They were nice but some element was missing. Too many rocks in the foreground, and I couldn’t get the nice mountains in the shot.

It was obvious what the next step was. I quickly rolled up my pants and put my first foot in the icy river. It was frickin cold. I took a few steps out and fired off one or two shots and sprinted back to the bank. At this point, the herd was just about done moving through the river but i knew I had one more in me. I tip toed through the river all the way to the middle, framing the bison right under the snow capped peaks, finally capturing the shot I envisioned. It all came together perfect and I scrambled out of the river, my feet basically numb. I found my way back to the car, with soggy feet and everything for the rest of the long day, but I knew I got the shot!