The light seemed to be good in the morning and there was no fog. We headed out in search of the ultimate sunrise photo, but we found elk instead – grazing on a meadow a bit off the road. I finally got some use out of the 300mm lens I’ve been dragging with me, so I was happy.

By then the little light there had been was gone and we only had an overcast sky left. We checked out a couple of small lakes though and since I already had the 300mm mounted, I snapped some shots of some birds to kill time.

Then we headed for Sunshine Meadows, hoping that the place would live up to its name. Well, a little bit – we got some diffused sunlight at first, and then on the way back. But for the actual hike, it was overcast again and I only took one landscape photo and even that was half forced. But I did get some closeup work done (thankful for carrying the big lens with me again!) and I also managed some bad shots of a ground squirrel and some birds.

When we were on the bus back, someone pointed out a mountain goat on the opposite valley wall. Sure enough, there is no mistaking of the white fur! It was way too far to even attempt with my 300mm, but when we had gotten off the bus and started driving back to Banff, we saw a group of whitetail deer – so close that my 300mm was too much. But after that, we came across two smaller groups of deer and I finally got some recognisable whitetail deer photos as well.

Already on the highway 1, we saw a bus pull on the side of the road. We decided to check out what they had noticed, and found ourselves looking at the biggest elk bull I have even seen. A gorgeus 12-pointer and my 300mm had some work to do.

It was already getting time for the evening light, and although it didn’t look very good, we still decided to drive to the Vermilion Lakes. When we had gotten to the end of the road and I was turning the car, we saw that elk bull walk right towards us! Panic… elk is the most dangerous animal in the Rockies, and these 12-pointers are nothing to toy with. But the elk just walked casually by us, and continued walking the road. We followed slowly, hoping that it would turn to the water. It didn’t, instead it just kept walking slowly on the road, switching from side to side when it needed go past people who already were standing by the roadside, photographing the lakes. When the bull finally disappeared in the forest, we turned back for our original plan.

We didn’t get much evening light though, so we gave up after a short while. On our way back, would you believe we came across the elk bull again! Unbelievable… we watched it go to the waterside and roll over in the mud, and sharpen the antlers. I had been smelling the air so it had obviously found the scent of some elk cows and now it was determined to find them. We watched it disappear in the bush for the last time and felt priviledged for the experience.