Sunrise at Little Troubt Bay Lookout

 

Little Trout Bay is a beautiful conservation area that was acquired by the Nature Conservancy of Canada a few years ago. It is located about half an hour to the south of Thunder Bay. You take Highway 61 and head south and then turn left when you reach the Little Trout Bay road.

There are a few beautiful trails there; one starts from the main parking lot, and the other by driving to the very end of the road and starting from there. This latter trailhead offers quicker access to the lookout I was heading to, but the other one is more scenic. I chose the shorter trail to be sure I am not late.

I used PhotoPills to figure out when the sun would rise from a certain direction at Little Trout Bay Conservation Area, and my plan was to be up at the lookout at least half an hour before sunrise.

The weather forecast for Good Friday kept changing. I was hoping for mostly sunny conditions. The night before, the forecast promised opportune conditions, so I set up my alarm for 5am, made sure I packed everything I needed, including my headlight and extra batteries. Next morning, I was up 5 minutes before the alarm went off. I had a quick breakfast and made some coffee to take with me.

Heading out, it was quite dark, but the moon was up, and I could see stars in the sky, which was encouraging. As I drove toward my destination, I noticed there were some clouds in the sky in the direction I knew the sun would be rising from, which made me almost decide to turn around, but I decided to continue on since I had nothing to lose. If I do get the conditions I am hoping for and get the photo I desired, that’s great, but if not, it’d still be an enjoyable short hike.

Hiking in the dark, even with a head light, is quite different from hiking during the daylight. For example, it is easy to miss a turn or to trip and fall, so you have to be extra attentive and careful, but other than that, it is something I really enjoy very much.

I was at my destination about 40 minutes prior to sunrise, and I took the time to look for a composition. I know the place quite well, and my wife and I were there the week before, so I had an idea about what I was looking for.

I took some trial photos, tried different heights and angles and then set up my tripod and enjoyed the breathtaking view and colours in the sky while waiting for the first sliver of the sun to emerge over the horizon and enjoying my coffee.

It is always a magical moment to see the first light of the day and watch the colours of the landscape get transformed by the golden light.

I captured my photos, stayed a bit longer and then very reluctantly left. What a wonderful morning!