A Shadowy Apparition...

In May 2003, almost exactly twenty years after first sighting the falls, my wife Deborah and I were driving down the same stretch of Lolo Pass Road, when I finally spotted the falls again after years of trying. This time, I was prepared with camera and tripod. The images above were taken that day, and may be the first photographs ever taken of this myterious twin waterfall on Cast Creek. The image on the left was shot with the equivalent of a 135 mm lens and the closeup of the falls is a digital enlargement.

The 2004 trip began where the discovery of Apparition Falls started in 1983, with a return to the spot where I first sighted the falls in 1983. The OPB crew set up their cameras, and we squinted in the bright morning sun to pick out the falls. Only Matthew was able to see them in deep shadows that almost always keep them hidden. As Todd set up the OPB video equipment, he asked me to take a look through the lens to "see if he had the general area." When I looked through the lens, the falls completely filled the viewfinder! I let out a "wow!" and Todd gave me a wry smile. The rest of the group took turns looking at the falls. Its beauty and unique twin form was already obvious, even from this great distance, so we excitedly packed up the equipment for a closer look.