JUST BECAUSE: Icefields Parkway Adventure session

The Couple: Alyssa & Jenny

The Season: Summer

The Location: Peyto Lake & Bow Lake on Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park

A Snippet About the Day: Alyssa & Jenny were just newly married a few days before I met up with them on their honeymoon for an Icefields Parkway Adventure session. It’s kinda awesome to get dressed up again in your wedding clothes & take photos in a crazy beautiful location without any of the stress you normally could have on your wedding day. I met up with these ladies in Canmore early in the morning and we drove out to Peyto Lake to start their Icefields Parkway adventure session. There are so many spectacular spots along this stretch of the highway, but Peyto Lake is the prized jewel. Parking is limited there but we were lucky to get a spot and hiked up from the lower parking lot. We stopped for a few photos in the road before trekking into the forest toward the far viewpoint. It was a gorgeous day mixed with sun & clouds. We took advantage of the sprinkling of rain to show off the super cute rainbow umbrella Jenny & Alyssa brought with them. We made good use of the umbrella a few times, partly for rain, but partly for what the umbrellas symbolizes. I’m not wanting to beat anyone over the head, but I want to make it clear that whatever you want call it – same-sex, gay, LGBTQ, etc. – I am so happy to photograph couples who love each other, doesn’t matter if you’re straight, gay or whatever label you choose to use, I want to document your loving relationship. That’s all I’m going to say about that, because this session is a wedding shoot like any other I do, just a couple in love in their awesome wedding clothes climbing mountains with me, getting a little bit dirty & catching a few bugs in the dress as we go. Once we made it to the viewpoint, we were greeted with the best skies! So dramatic & a little bit moody. The colour of the Lake looked insane & I had a hard time leaving once we were done. Off to Bow Lake we went with a stop in the meadow just off the highway before we finished this Icefields Parkway adventure session off in Bow Lake. Yup. Alyssa & Jenny kicked off the shoes & splashed around in that freezing cold glacier-fed lake & it was the best!!

So what exactly is an Adventure Session? Adventure means different things to different people. It could be a short 5 minute hike off the beaten path for some, it could be a helicopter ride into the middle of nowhere, it could be a 8 hour trek with a night of camping. It’s an adventure because it’s something a bit different, especially all dressed up! Climbing in formal clothes isn’t easy & dress shoes are slippery as all hell, that makes it an adventure. It’s an adventure because you’re exploring somewhere new. You’re not playing it safe by staying on the sidewalk. You aren’t staying on the hotel grounds. You’re out there getting a bit dirty. There’s a chance you could run into a bear. Mostly you’re having a great time enjoying being out in nature. It’s part of an awesome road trip where we drive from spot to spot & randomly jump out if something looks interesting, not knowing exactly what we’re going to do next like on this Icefields Parkway adventure session. I really love the times where we just see where the road takes us and what we come across. I’m not one for doing a 10 hour hike & camping somewhere over night. I’m a princess. I’ll trek for a while & I’ll get filthy, happily, but I want a comfy bed & indoor plumbing at the end of the night. If you are into the idea of hiking for hours & hours & sleeping in the wildness, waking up the next day to get married & then hiking back out, I can send you to some really awesome people who love to do that. Or I can take the helicopter & meet you there in the morning. 🙂

Looking for more Icefields Parkway Adventure Session Inspiration? Check out my very first elopement at Peyto Lake! Check out this adventure wedding with a stop at Peyto Lake. Take a peek at this Peyto Lake Intimate Wedding! If you’re looking for inspiration with gay or same-sex couples, check out this same-sex wedding in Banff!