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Medicine Lake-for Maciej


Medicine Lake-for Maciej
Photo Information
Copyright: Denis Mark (dmark11) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 195 W: 9 N: 655] (2633)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2011-06-11
Categories: Mountain
Camera: Canon EOS 60D, Sigma 10-20mm F4.5-5.6 EX DC Lens, Promaster 77mm MC C-P.L
Exposure: f/22, 1/40 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2011-06-26 6:37
Viewed: 3028
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 18
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Try as I might I could never lay glass on our big mountains on this trip. The weather was just awful with clouds and drizzle for days. I did lots of short hikes and found lots of places that I will go back to when the skies clear. This mountain park is still amazing even in the clouds. Maligne Mountain is in the background it is 3,200 m tall (10,499 ft).

FROM PARKS CANADA

Summer visitors assume that Medicine is a normal mountain lake, but it isn't.

During the summer, glacier melt waters flood the lake, sometimes overflowing it. In fall and winter the lake disappears, becoming a mudflat with scattered pools of water connected by a stream. But there is no visible channel draining the lake – so where then does the water go?

The answer is, "out the bottom", like a bathtub without a plug. The Maligne River pours into the lake from the south and drains out through sinkholes in the bottom. The water then streams through a cave system formed in the slightly soluble limestone rock, surfacing again in the area of Maligne Canyon 16 kilometers downstream. This is one of the largest known sinking rivers in the Western Hemisphere and may be the largest inaccessible cave system anywhere in the world!

Summer melt water coming into the lake exceeds the capacity of the sinkholes to drain it. Decreased melt water in the late summer and fall means that the lake's sinkholes can drain the lake faster then the Maligne River can fill it. This creates the disappearing lake phenomena. Aboriginal peoples called the lake Medicine because of its seemingly magical powers, and the United Nations created the Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site partly because of this unique drainage system.
PaulLees, corjan3, marius-secan, vijeeshbabu, eqshannon, CeltickRanger has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To FunkyMunky: Sigma lensdmark11 1 06-27 22:41
To corjan3: Dolmite Limestonedmark11 1 06-27 20:29
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Denis!
Thanks a lot for this amazing photo! Excellent mountainscape. Amazing colours. Great clarity. Nice light.
Of course beautiful lake and place.
Have a nice Sunday,
Maciek

Hi Denis,

Well for lousy weather you have done extremely well here my friend, splendid composition with all the elements, you have captured a strong lead in from the left, great angles and a lovely strong base with your solid foreground, very pleasing picture indeed,
Best regards Denis and have a nice Sunday,

Pauly.

Hello Denis,
A very beautiful image indeed with lots of depth and pelasant soft colours. And a VERY interesting note. The dolomite in the foreground is what karst topography forms on and cave systems develop in. Thank you for the good information. Best wishes.
Neels

Hello Denis,
Excellent landscape with wonderful colors and very nice clarity.
Great composition with perfect focus. Thanks for sharing this "land of dream".
Marius.

Great shot with beautiful natural colours and excellent light. Great work.Thanks for share,have a nice day,Vijeesh

Fantastic landscape! I have the same Sigma wide angle lens as you and it takes beautiful landscapes!

I see many of these and post quite a number on a regular basis...from Rick Price whim you certainly must have run across somewhere in space...as to your shot...it makes me wish to be there even more than I do so in summer at least...fine job!
Bob

Hello Denis,
Deja vue! Your magnificent mountain scenery is very similar to our landscapes in the Tatras. Perfect natural colors.
Regards
Lucja

Hello Denis

Beautiful landscape scenery from Alberta,
fine POV and wide angle framing with the
background clouds it gives atmosphere
effect to the image, TFS

Asbed

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