A Tale of Two Bear Bells

A heart-pounding run through the woods in the dark is exhilarating, a cheap thrill that’s even better when the family dog is along for the experience.

Bear Bells and Raccoon Tracks along the Chattahoochee River

During the winter, when the sun sets around 5:30 in the afternoon, I like to go hiking or trail running at dusk, which usually means running around the woods in the dark. With nobody around to complain, I often bring Wilson the Bassador along and let him run off leash. He loves it and I enjoy the company. Occasionally, though, he’ll go tearing off into the darkness after a raccoon or a deer, and once in a while, he takes his sweet time finding his way back. In fact, twice now he’s been missing long enough that I started to worry that he was lost for good.

Finding a black dog in the woods at night isn’t as easy as it sounds, so it occurred to me a while back that Wilson would be easier to find if I attached a bear bell to his collar. So, I picked up a Coghlan’s Bear Bell from REI for $3.95 and was excited to try it out, but it fell off on our very first run, never to be found again (UPDATE: I found the bell five nights later, while running through the same park with an awesome 750 lumen Lupine Piko headlamp). The hook and loop fastener that’s meant to secure the bell simply isn't big or strong enough to do the job. No matter, though. The magnet in the permanently-attached netted pouch kept sticking to the side of the bell, dampening the ring while Wilson ran and rendering the bell useless. On the plus side, the magnetized pouch effectively silenced the bell during transport to and from the trailhead, a feature that is missing from the bear bell I received for Christmas this year.

The Silverfoot Hiker Carabiner Bear Bell was a gift from Santa, presumably intended to be used as the manufacturer envisioned (to warn bears of approaching hikers). Conveniently, it was a perfect replacement for the “dog” bear bell that was lost. The Silverfoot bell sported a superior design, too, utilizing a small carabiner for secure attachment to Wilson’s collar and lacking a clanger-muting magnet. At $10, it’s 150% more expensive than the Coghlan bell, but it seems much less likely to get lost. Unless I fling it away, that is. It drives me crazy when it jingles Rudolph-style while I carry it around in my backpack to and from the trailhead.

The bottom line is that the Silverfoot Hiker Carabiner Bear Bell is the better buy for dogs. It has a more secure attachment mechanism than the Coghlan bell, and it lacks a magnet that may unintentionally stop the bell from ringing. To be honest, though, I suspect a jingle bell and a zip tie from your local craft store would accomplish a similar result for about $1.

Yosemite Trip Day 4 (Last Day)

On the last day of my photo tour with Lloyd Chambers, we explored the June Lake Loop area, not far from the eastern entrance of Yosemite National Park. While the June Lake area isn't exactly off the beaten path, it was an area that I was interested in exploring because I'd heard that it was a great place to go for shooting fall colors.

Lloyd and I met at the north entrance of the paved loop at sunrise, and we pulled off the road as soon as we saw our first good-sized group of brightly colored aspens. With temperatures in the mid- to upper-20s (F), we layered up and ventured up a nearby hill to shoot the trees as the sun rose over the horizon and warmed us.

Morning on June Lake Loop (1/180 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200 with Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 lens on Nikon D3s)

Later, we returned to our cars and drove down the road a bit further. With the sun higher in the sky and temperatures rising, we saw a lot of roadside photographers practicing their craft. And to be honest with you, I drove past the first dozen or so feeling just a little bit superior. After all, I'd been hiking well off the road the past few days! But it wasn't long before I saw such a pretty spot that I pulled over myself, shooting shoulder to shoulder with the other tourists. What can I say? It was a nice road!

There's a Bee Near Me (shot roadside, feet on the pavement, 1/90 sec at f/8.0, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

I love reflections. Everywhere I go, I find myself looking for reflections and thinking about whether they might make a good photograph. Lucky for me, June Lake Loop afforded many opportunities.

Golden Pond (1/1000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

The photo above was taken just a few steps from the spot where I shot the photo below. It's rare to find a spot where there are good photographic opportunities in multiple directions!

Reflections on Fishing(1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

Our last stop gave me an opportunity to explore a bright stand of roadside aspens with Lloyd's awesome Zeiss 25mm f/2.8 lens on my camera (I liked the 25mm lens so much that I bought one when I returned home from my trip).

Autumn Tree Carving (1/500 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200 with Zeiss 25mm f/2.8 lens on Nikon D3s)

Upon reaching the south end of June Lake Loop, Lloyd and I parted ways and I headed toward Reno to catch my flight home. The trip was a fantastic adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed. I learned a lot and I think the experience made me a better photographer. In fact, I'm sold on the idea of hiring a good guide for this type of trip. I can't wait to figure out where I'm going next!

Yosemite Trip Day 3

The third day of my photo tour with Lloyd Chambers began inside the park boundaries, just after sunrise, with plans to explore some of Yosemite's highland meadows. With nighttime temperatures dipping into the 20s, we followed a meandering creek bed in search of frost and ice before the sun rose and melted it all away.

Frozen Star in Creek Bed (1/1500 sec at f/3.3 handheld, ISO 800 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

While the meadows and creeks were interesting and scenic, Lloyd and I discussed moving to a lower elevation in search of fall colors. We had both noticed large groups of blazing aspens on our trips up and down Tioga Pass, so we decided to travel back outside the park for a closer look. The valley road to the old Poole Power Plant offered a close up view of these beautiful trees.

Aspen Near the Creek (1/2000 sec at f/1.4, ISO 200 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 lens on Nikon D3s)

Lloyd took great care of me by giving me plenty of time and space to explore the roadside and shoot as many photos as I wanted. I used the time to practice some of the techniques he'd shared with me and to simply enjoy the scenery. It was a beautiful spot.

Colorful Creekside (1/350 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200 with Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 lens on Nikon D3s)

Honestly, I think there was enough potential subject matter around Poole Power Plant to keep me busy for two or three days. However, the mountains rose so sharply from this narrow little valley that there are probably only five or six hours of direct sunlight each day. Besides, we wanted to check out nearby Lundy Canyon before it got too dark. We had to move on.

We drove to Lundy Canyon by following the main road north from nearby Lee Vining, but Lloyd told me that it was possible to hike there from Saddlebag Lake, which we had visited the day before. We really hit the jackpot with Lundy Canyon - Lloyd said the fall colors there were the best he'd seen in a long time. The fall colors around Yosemite are a lot different than the ones we have in the Appalachians, but I was still very impressed by the bright colors we saw in the Sierras.

Aspen Near the Trail (1/20 sec at f/11, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

It was Lundy Canyon where we took our only "group photo" of the trip.

Self Portrait of Matt Hyatt with Lloyd Chambers

With only one more day left on the trip, and with me still feeling pretty high on the fantastic fall colors we'd seen, we made plans to visit the June Lake Loop the next day. I had heard from several locals that June Lake was bristling with colors. Boy, were they right. I'll post photos soon!

Yosemite Trip Day 2

My second day hiking the Yosemite area with guide and photography expert Lloyd Chambers was actually spent just outside the park, near Saddlebag Lake. Despite its name, Saddlebag Lake is really a reservoir, and it's not particularly memorable when compared to the spectacular scenery we saw the day before. However, Lloyd assured me that the area beyond Saddlebag Lake was worth the short slog through the snow-covered rocky trail around the lake.

Hiking Towards 20 Lakes Basin (1/2000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, with Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 lens on Nikon D3s)

Lloyd was right. The area beyond Saddlebag Lake, known as the "20 Lakes Basin", was breathtakingly beautiful, yet very different from the Yosemite canyon we'd explored the day before. 20 Lakes Basin is a high-elevation area that seems to have been carved out by an ancient glacier, leaving hundreds of low spots and thousands of rocks and boulders strewn about. Many of the low spots are filled with crystal clear water (many brimming with trout!), creating a gorgeous and varied landscape unlike anything I've seen before.

Colored Basin (1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200, with Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 on Nikon D3s)

20 Lakes Basin sits at an elevation just over 10,000 feet, and the plants found there are different than the ones we saw the day before. During autumn, this brightly colored ground-hugging foliage glows hues of red and yellow, at times creating a dazzling display against the rocky terrain.

Backlit Fall Foliage (1/500 sec at f/8.0, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

I don't know if it was the thin air at the high elevation, or the lack of adequate sleep during the previous two nights, but I felt very groggy and had a mild headache the entire day. At one point, I even laid down on a rock and took a brief nap in the sun! Lloyd was very patient and gave me plenty of opportunities to stop and take pictures (or to rest, or both). I was grateful, though, since the frequent stops gave me time to focus on the details of the unique landscape.

Eking Out a Living (1/750 sec at f/2.4, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

Despite the fact that I wasn't feeling my best, the day spent exploring the 20 Lakes Basin was fascinating and I enjoyed it a lot. However, it was days 3 and 4 of my Yosemite trip that really blew me away. That's when we found some of the most amazing fall colors I've ever seen. Stay tuned for another update soon, and I'll show you what I'm talking about.