My good friend Brittany & I traveled west to the mountains a couple of months back to go check out Clearwater County! I had previously been to Nordegg during the summer to shoot Courtney + Vance’s gorgeous intimate wedding, but I was excited to be able to explore the area again with Brittany & more time! I was also extremely excited to check out Nordegg Crescent Falls as I ran out of time the last time I was there. As we headed out, of course there was a snow storm on HWY 2 & we had quite the eventful drive. Leaving after work didn’t leave us with much daylight to travel in, but we blasted our music, grabbed a coffee & made the best of it.

We finally made it to our hotel, The Crossing Resort, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere by about 11:30 pm. It is so much in the middle of nowhere that there was absolutely NO cellphone service at all. We then quickly realized that the hotel office was not open so we were unsure as to how to obtain our room key! How in the heck were we going to get in our room! Luckily we found a worker who stated that we would need to go to this little shack & use a phone that was provided to call the person to come let us in our room. After finally getting into out room & getting settled in, it was time for some wine! But wait, we didn’t have a cork screw. DAMMIT. So I went searching for one & thankfully the pub at the resort was open & had one! Brittany & I stood out on the patio & had a drink while admiring the night sky before heading to bed. BUT OUR ROOM DOOR HAD LOCKED BEHIND US. We were dying laughing while Brittany found that the window was unlocked, so she crawled right through & let us in. It was definitely an eventful evening but despite all of the minor setbacks we had, we still had such a great time & made some hilarious memories.

Luschia & Andrew met us at Crescent Falls & Brittany & I were so excited to go & explore with them! They also brought along their black lab puppy Nova who was also very excited to check everything out! We chatted about Luschia & Andrew’s cabin in the area & how they love to spend their time exploring the mountains & being outdoors. Luschia is also a freakin amazing wood worker & loves to spend her time creating her masterpieces while at the cabin. We all hiked down a VERY steep mountainside to get down to the first set of Crescent Falls & when I walked out of the trees I saw one of the most beautiful sights I think I have ever seen. The rushing water mixed with the sunshine & snow created such a magical little cove that we had all to ourselves! If you are in the Crescent Falls, Nordegg area, I would HIGHLY recommend checking this spot out & go off the beaten path to see it from different angles!

All throughout our trip Brittany was praying to see the wild horses that roam the Nordegg area. The day before we had pulled over & shot some images of them & Brittany could not have been more excited! As our time at Crescent Falls was winding down, we decided to drive to the highway with Luschia & Andrew to see if we could catch some of the sunset. As the sun disappeared behind the mountain range, we saw something on the side of the road in distance. MORE WILD HORSES! It was such a perfect evening spent with some amazing people & I am obsessed with how these images turned out!

I always feel so refreshed & thankful for the time that I spend in the mountains because I feel like it is such a cleansing experience that really reconnects a person to the outdoors! Clearwater County has a special place in my heart because it is so different from Jasper & Banff. Don’t get me wrong, I love those places, but Clearwater County has waaaay less people & less tourism so you truly feel like you are way out in the wild country! I will definitely be going back again soon!