Mystic Spirit Island

With most of western Canada under a thick blanket of smoke from the devastating wildfires in British Columbia and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, finding clear vistas was a challenge in the summer of 2021, to say the least. I got lucky this day, the previous day’s rain helped wash away some of the smoke and allowed me to get this shot. The light smoky haze in the distance seems to add to the fascinating aura of mystery, awe and power of this place. It’s no wonder the Stoney Nakoda First Nations considered this spot to be a spiritual location and that the mountains are representations of their ancestors. The fact that Spirit Island is surrounded on three sides by the same mountain range is extremely rare and particularly significant to the Stoney.