The Story Behind “Storm Breaks Over Hunting Camp”
There’s nothing I love more than adding to my aerial photography collection. So many of the flights I’ve taken are survey flights over Yellowstone to document the thermal features. These flights combine all of my loves: photography, thermal features, and flying. Let me tell you the story behind this one that’s one of my favorite aerial images so far.
On this particular flight in October of 2019, we weren’t sure if we’d make it into the park. We had blue skies in Cody, but the webcam on Mt. Washburn showed clouds still hanging low in the park. We waited and watched as the clouds began to lift. The pilot made the call that we could try going in over Jones Pass, which sits slightly lower than Sylvan Pass, but also warned that we might have to turn back. As always, I was ready to give it a try.
The flight out of Cody and up the North Fork was beautiful. Fresh snow from one of the first snowstorms of the season topped all the peaks. The clouds were lifting faster the closer we got to the park, but we wouldn’t fully know until we got a look at Jones Pass.
Turning right at Pahaska and flying over the North Fork of the Shoshone, I saw a hunting camp at the confluence of the North Fork and Jones Creek. As the plane was directly above the hunting camp, I looked out at this scene of the valley where the North Fork’s headwaters lie in the Sunlight Peak area. Moose Mountain sits at the “end” of the valley in this photo. I could only think how this snow would help drive the animals down, and someone was likely going to have a very good day of hunting.
From a plane, there’s only a moment to capture the scenes you see. But it was enough so I could savor the beauty of the moment for years to come through this image. The clouds were breaking and lifting rapidly at this point, giving us a clear path to put another glorious flight in the books.
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Janet Jones
Owner of Cody Journal and SnowMoon Photography
Janet has a rich history in Cody with her grandparents moving here in the late 1930s. Her grandfather started Wyoming Well Service. Janet is a writer, photographer, graphic designer and webmaster. Cody Journal and Cody Calendar blends her skills and talents with her love of the area.