Paintbrush Divide

Beyond Solitude

© Miles Hecker

SEASONS

The view of Cascade Canyon from just below Paintbrush Divide is one the typical tourist is not likely to see. Although it can be seen on a day trip, it's a long way off the beaten path. If you take the ferry across Jenny Lake, you arrive at the Hidden Falls and Cascade Canyon trail head. It is in fact, an 8.5 mile hike, one way, from the start of that trailhead to the point above Lake Solitude where the picture seen above was taken.

If you take a light pack with minimal photo gear and are in good shape, you can arrive at this very scenic destination in between 4-5 hours. Spend an hour to compose your masterpiece, eat lunch, and start the journey back to Jenny Lake. If you are adventurous and wish to see a view that only mountaineers normally enjoy, this is the trip for you. No backcountry permit is needed if you do this as a dayhike.

TIMES

Early to mid afternoon works best for this shot. . It depends more on the cloud cover then anything else. The above photo is a two shot panorama, that was taken at a 28mm equivalent focal length on a crop sensor camera.

LENS & FILTERS

LENS: 28-70mm for 35mm camera, 17-50mm for crop sensor cameras

FILTERS: a polarizer might be helpful if the light is harsh

FILMS

Slide films: Velvia 100 or Kodak E100SW

About Miles Hecker

Miles has been involved with photography for over forty years. He teaches digital photography at Casper College in Casper,Wyoming. His photos have won awards from Natures Best magazine, Photo.net, The Luminous Landscape and Wyoming WIldlife . Miles' photos have been published in American Vignette, Backpacker Magazine, Natures Best Images, Popular Photography, Wyoming Audubon, and Wyoming Wildlife. He is co-founder of WyoFOTO LLC.

                                                                                                                                                              April, 2011