Second Chance at Brandywine Falls

In early October 2002, I travelled to Whistler on business from Toronto. At the end of the meeting I stayed around for a few extra days to explore the area. That summer I had purchased my first SLR camera and tripod. I had done a little reading and had caught the photography bug. I was very eager to make use of my new toys, so I arranged to stay on for a few days at a local bed and breakfast.

I attempted the Joffre Lakes hike, visited an ancient cedar grove, searched out waterfalls and burned film like a mad-woman. When I returned home and picked up my slides I was in for a lesson. To say that my photographs from that trip were under-whelming would be an under-statement. What I lacked in skill I made up for in enthusiasm, so there were plenty of mistakes to look at! I was disappointed, but not discouraged. Within a few months I had quit my corporate job, started my own business and enrolled in a photography program at Sheridan College. I had a lot to learn.

One of the locations I photographed on that 2002 trip was Brandywine Falls, located just south of Whistler on Highway 99. In my first attempt, I exposed the shot properly, but there was a boulder in the foreground that I just could not eliminate because my lens was too short. To make matters worse, the boulder was catching the sun, so it was the most noticeable thing in the picture, overwhelming the spectacular waterfall. I still have that slide - it's in a "what if" file.

So, I was quite pleased when I pulled off the highway on my recent trip, this time from Kelowna, to re-discover Brandywine Falls. Even as I walked the short trail from the parking lot to the observation deck, I was unsure which waterfall I was revisiting. Four years, many courses, a few pieces of equipment and thousands of images later, I wish I had a picture of the look on my face when I got close to the falls and that familliar cavern opened up in front of me. This time, I was able to straddle my (taller) tripod out over the ledge, aim my (longer) lens around the boulder and get the shot.

This past trip up the Sea to Sky Highway was a unique opportunity to reflect on all the changes of the past four years. Little did I know when I descended from Whistler in 2002 the challenges and opportunities that were ahead. Writing this entry is making me think about all of the things I have learned, the people I have met, and the three I have lost in the intervening years. There is so much about life that you cannot control, but once in a while you are given a second chance.

Laura