'Dawn Patrol'

Edition: NFT 1/15

Artist: Shaun Stewart

We went to bed early and awoke just a few hours later at 1:00 am to start the journey to the Lake O'Hara trailhead. The plan was to begin hiking by 3:00 am to make it to the Opabin Plateau in time for sunrise.

Our hurried departure out of Banff was delayed by a police officer who pulled us over looking for drunk drivers. I remember him being slightly confused as he looked into the car, only to see a group of hikers looking half-asleep. I explained we were trying to make it to a viewpoint in Yoho National Park for sunrise and he let us on our way.

We reached the trailhead and began the 10km journey by headlamp into the park. It's always slightly unnerving hiking into a new area in the pitch black, especially in grizzly country. But in my experience, these crazy efforts often pay off.

After hiking through the night, we reached the Opabin Plateau just as the sun was beginning to rise and I captured this self-portrait.