Spirit Island on Maligne Lake

“Look to the right now! That’s the Hall of Gods,” our captain called out. What a perfectly devious trick. Anyone who says right instead of starboard on a boat is up to something. I should have seen it coming. The view to the right across the Hall of Gods is simply breathtaking. The steep, towering canyon walls frame the turquoise Maligne Lake and you immediately understand why Mary Schäffer, who discovered the lake, described this view in such dramatic terms. But to our left lay Spirit Island. We had already spent 45 minutes on the boat just to see this island. And now we were being distracted so cheaply, just to create an even bigger “wow” moment. But what can I say: wow, wow, wow – for Spirit Island and the Hall of Gods alike.

Even before landing at the shore of Maligne Lake, we were told that there would be only 15 minutes before we needed to be back at the boat for the return journey. I had already read when organising the trip that the stop would be brief and had prepared myself accordingly during the crossing. I had screwed a polarising filter onto the 24-70 lens, the NISI filter set was loaded with an ND filter, and the tripod legs were already extended before I even stepped off the boat. From the shore I was able to photograph several different perspectives, but also had enough time to simply let the small island and its monumental backdrop sink in. Everything here fits together so perfectly that you have to rub your eyes to make sure you are not dreaming. For me personally, this panorama is one of the most fascinating landscapes I have ever seen. If I were ever to compile a top five of the most beautiful places I have visited, Spirit Island would be on it. I do not think that will ever change.

For the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, Spirit Island is a sacred place and only they are permitted to set foot on the island. In their language it is called “Githni-mi-Makoche”, which translates as “healing island”. The Stoney Nakoda see the surrounding mountain peaks as the physical embodiments of their ancestors, and the island has served for generations as a place for reflection and healing ceremonies.

The island gained wider recognition through a Kodak advertisement. A photograph by Peter Gales was displayed in panoramic format at Grand Central Station in New York from August to September 1960 as part of the Kodak Colorama exhibition. This proved not only to be brilliant advertising for Kodak film – as those of a certain age will remember – but also sparked interest in this remote corner of the Canadian Rockies. Unlike Peter Gales, I photographed digitally and no longer on film, but my image has found its own way into the public eye – as the cover of the Harenberg calendar “Kanada 2027 Sehnsuchtskalender”. It shows a boat sailing around Spirit Island. For anyone now pondering whether I failed to make it back in time for the return journey, or whether I even hid myself away so I could stay longer: it was the boat from the previous tour that was pulling away just as we arrived.