View Finders

- [Announcer] National Roofing Partners deliver single-source commercial roofing solutions in all 50 states, through over 260 contractors nationwide.

National Roofing Partners is a proud sponsor of "View Finders."

(gentle music) - [Announcer] Sigma is proud to support photographers and filmmakers around the world.

And we believe creativity and sustainability go hand in hand.

(water rushing) - [Announcer] Every explorer seeks their own path, (dramatic music) and the promise of what's to come.

The truth lies West.

- [Announcer] Georgia College and State University provides over 40 graduate program offerings, including doctorates in nursing and education.

Learn more at GCSU.edu.

- [Announcer] Troncalli Subaru is a proud sponsor of "View Finders."

(birds chirping) (energetic drumbeat music) Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh - The Continental Divide spans its entire length.

- Seven of the largest glaciers in the Rocky Mountains can be found here.

- Over 1,300 named lakes.

- This is the Wind River Mountain Range.

I'm Chris.

- I'm Paul.

- [Both] And we're the "View Finders."

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) Steady we keep shedding skin Innocence and sentiment Curse for birds is the confidence And the ignorance of a hypocrite - [Chris] Paul, it is exciting to be here.

- [Paul] Yeah, totally different look.

- Yeah, pretty good travel day.

Got here in Wyoming and it looks so different than Georgia.

- Yeah, way different.

I mean, this is a dream.

- It is.

- This is a dream.

Yeah, this area- - We're gonna be able to pick apart the landscape.

We got some big zoom lenses, we got some wide angle lenses, we got massive mountains, got the Wind River Mountain Range, all around us, lakes.

- Nature, wildlife.

- So much wildlife, trees.

- [Paul] Thought I saw something up there.

- Yeah, I mean, at any moment they can just pop out.

And so this is a really exciting, new place for us to photograph and I haven't really done it before, so the entire thing is just gonna be scouting, finding compositions, and probably walking away with some really beautiful shots.

- Hopefully, yeah.

Never been in this part of the country.

- Yeah.

- So for me, the last, the few days leading up to this trip, it's really just been a Google search kind of day, looking for stuff, looking for images.

- Right.

Well, we're relying on some people that live here to give us some tips and pointers, but also at the same time, we're just kind of seeing what we find.

We're going out, we're exploring, whatever catches our eye, the light's getting good.

The sky, the pink out there, the blue.

I think we need to set up, I wanna see some water, I wanna see some mountains.

The grass, the trees, the low sun angle, light hitting the grass produces that nice golden yellow off the grass and the trees, so yeah, first time out here and I'm ready to go, man.

- All right, well let's do it man.

Ooh Ooh Ooh Ooh Well, I've been tempted, I've been tried Silhouetted whisper sending shivers down my spine Traded me truth for lies Choices we must live with For the rest of our lives - What I'm trying to do right now, I think I see a pretty good shot with the sun lowering right in between these two trees and these little bushes right here.

Oh, it's so loud over here with the wind.

With these bushes right here, it's kind of hard to keep them still 'cause the wind's blowing so hard, but what I'm gonna try to do is get a quick shadow of in between these trees, the sun coming down with this in the foreground.

We'll see if we can make this a photo and not just a picture.

- I'm hopeful that maybe when that sun drops down and is raking across all of those trees, all of those ridge lines, the tops of them catch light.

And maybe that'll create a really interesting shot, like cropped in really tight on that.

- Yeah.

- Which is funny because if you look here, you would think the lake is the shot.

I mean, we're above this big beautiful lake, but there's just no distinguishing feature that really grabs your eye.

- [Paul] There's nothing to really, yeah, exactly.

There's nothing that really grabs you.

Ooh Ooh - I really enjoy the winds because it's tranquil.

Like it's still, even town here is still the Old West type style of living.

Like I've written college papers on just our type of way of life that just isn't living anywhere else, I guess, and so for us to be able to drive just right out of town in multiple directions and get up into the Wind River Mountains, which is rocky and it's full of animals and it's different terrain and it's a challenge, I think that's another part of it, like it's not something everybody can go do.

Like you have to be able to be navigate a lot of different scenarios when you go up into the mountains.

I see the storms roll into the winds right above me and I'm like wondering how many people are up there without, you know, heavy rain gear and even winter coats because July, we can get really gnarly, gnarly weather up there.

But I think that's what I enjoy about it.

It's just, it's rugged.

It's the rugged West and we get to still go up and enjoy it.

- Well, Wind River Range is an amazing place.

Largest extension of the Rockies.

And being in the foothills today, we're in an area where a lot of animals that live up in the winds will actually migrate from the Wind River Range and other mountain ranges through the foothills here and so it's a really interconnected landscape.

And of course the Wind River Range itself is just such a popular place for recreation.

It's just an unbelievable landscape.

Mama got a voice like sugar It's so sweet and fine Sister sing "Amazing Grace" She right in time They're laying poor papa low In the ground that he worked in so Now they're waiting at the Jackson Station For the train to roll She been up all night She got crows walking 'round her eyes She can still raise a cup in a toast Well ran dry He left her on a Tuesday still With gin whiskey and a bottle of bill Now she's waiting at the Jackson Station Looking over the hill - I'm gonna try to take a couple of different shots, different focal lengths.

I'm gonna see if maybe I can combine them when I edit them and then see if I can get a little bit more size out of those mountains to really show the viewer what I saw when I came out here today.

Take me away Yet I whistle play a sad, sad song Lay me down where the river runs wide and strong Sometimes you ride a ticket home Other times you leave you all alone Just waiting at the Jackson Station For the train to go (gentle upbeat country music) (water roaring) (gentle upbeat country music continues) - Just sheer beauty.

I'm a city boy, folks, okay, so we don't get to see this in the city often unless it's in a gift shop on a calendar or something like that.

- It's the worst time of the day to photograph a waterfall.

It's like middle of the day, harsh sun, there's no clouds, but it works because there were not many shadows.

The light was pretty even across the entire scene.

Put on an indie filter, put on a polarizer, cut down the glare on the water.

I'm hopeful that that came out, but this was a great experience.

Yeah, she got the smoke coming out of the step They're running over 10 by trek Just waiting at the Jackson Station Never coming back So waiting at the Jackson Station Never coming back So waiting at the Jackson Station Never coming back Say, oh, yeah Ain't never coming back - Paul, since you came onto this show, it feels like you've had some new experiences in life.

- Quite a few.

- We went caving.

- Yes.

- That was a first, right?

- Yes.

- We went camping.

- Uh-huh.

- You'd never camped before.

- Uh-huh.

- I think it's time for something new.

- What's this?

- What do you think?

I think we need to get on these horses here.

- Ahh!

(upbeat country music) - Whoosh.

I'm good.

I'm on.

I'm on.

(upbeat country music continues) (horse hooves clomping) Yeah, Wyoming winds come and save me I am lost in your great divide I need a sign, come show me the way Helen winds come show me the way - Well, here we are.

We are about 1/3 of the way through our ride, but this is really beautiful.

- Yes, it is.

- And how are you feeling?

- I should be asking you that.

I mean, my horse was fine.

My horse was like... - My horse doesn't seem to be too concerned about its payload, namely me.

Come on, Sam.

Oh god, what's Sam doing?

No, don't do this, Sam.

- It's got a mind of its own.

That's what it's doing.

- So taking me through trees, rocks, and all types of things, doesn't seem to bother him whatsoever.

God, I almost fell off.

Come on Sam, you can do it.

Sam's doing me wrong.

Oh, Sam, okay.

You're okay, Sam.

Yep, oh.

Yeah, I'm good.

We're good.

Everything is still attached.

Parts of me you're feeling the horseback riding.

Really pretty scene.

Again, we're dealing with the haze and there's only so much you can do with that, you know, it's not real blue sky like it normally would be so that's kind of maybe detracting a touch from the scene.

- Again, it's part of the game.

That's what happens.

You just come out and you're at the mercy of Mother Nature and what happens.

- Right, so we'll be able to work it some when we're editing them and everything, but it's just so peaceful out here.

It's just a very serene look to everything.

Especially with this glacier lake.

I joke about the horseback riding.

It's been a lot of fun and there's more ahead.

- [Paul] Totally impressed so far with Wyoming.

- Yeah.

- Totally impressed.

It was everything, so far it's been everything that I thought it would be.

- And I love it.

- And some horses.

- Love it, and some horses, some ornery horses.

- [Paul] Well, yours, not mine.

- Mine's a little more ornery.

- Mine's fine.

- I think it's 'cause I keep calling him names.

I should be nicer.

I'm finally on good terms with Sam.

So anyway, this is a really, this is a fun, relaxing way to find views, right, Paul?

- [Paul] Yeah.

(Chris chuckling) Now Yukon here might have a problem with it.

- Wait, is that your horse's name, Yukon?

- [Paul] Yeah.

- [Chris] See that explains it all.

Ow.

Your horse has got this really- - Tough name.

- Awesome horse name, and mine's named Sam.

Let the moon shine bright On a path tonight (upbeat country music) (camera shutter clicking) I need a sign, come and show me the way Wyoming winds come and show me the way - Hey, how you doing, man?

- How you feeling?

- I'm fine.

How about you?

- There's no way you're fine.

I don't believe it.

Unless you're like some type of superhero or something.

- Don't be jealous of me.

- I mean, you're built like a superhero, but I don't think you're a superhero yet.

I mean, I just got the stuffing beat out of me for about five hours bouncing on a horse with all my gear in the back.

- Your horse had it in for you, we know that.

- Sam wanted to introduce me to lots of trees.

It's so on purpose.

I know it's on purpose.

He actually backed up so he could hit the tree harder.

Very up close and personal in a way that might remove me from him at any given time.

How is Yukon?

- Well, first of all, when you have a horse named Yukon, I mean, come on.

He's built for this.

- Exactly.

- My horse, he was great.

It was my first time on a horse.

I didn't know much about what to do.

My horse basically said, get on, I got this, we're going.

- [Chris] Paul is just like calmly riding his horse like he's done it his entire life.

- Trust the horse.

- First of all, I was at a disadvantage from the outset because your horse was named Yukon and mine was named Sam.

I was later told that Sam was a little older and could only see out of one eye.

- Give Sam a kick.

- All right.

How about a gentle nudge so I don't anger him anymore?

I just, I can feel his energy and it's very negative.

And we're on like cliffs the whole time for like five hours, so I feel like there was not full disclosure before we got, we went out, but- - Sam made him say words that I've never heard him say before.

- I had a lot of conversations with Sam.

I called Sam a lot of names.

Wyoming winds come and show me the way Hey - The mission of the Outdoor Council really is to protect Wyoming's environment and quality of life for current and future generations, and that includes working on land, landscape health, ensuring landscape health, water quality, and that our wildlife and other natural resources are protected.

I think one of the biggest challenges here in Wyoming for wildlife at least, is that they don't know boundaries, land boundaries or political boundaries, and so as they try and navigate these landscapes, they encounter lots of challenges with their movements.

Wyoming's home to some of the most iconic wildlife migrations for mule deer and pronghorn, elk too.

And so as they move about this landscape and basically run into different boundaries and different forms of development, they often have challenges with moving about the landscape.

We could be gone from (singer vocalizing) (gentle acoustic guitar music) If we (singer vocalizing) - Wild Horse Sanctuary is something that we had started back in 2015, and when we first got horses, 2016 is when we opened.

And we did it as a response to the fact that there was a need.

We kind of see both sides of it.

We work as a cattle rancher also and we have certainly some issues with too many horses on the range and causing some problems and some damage, and part of it was a solution to helping that ecosystem out there be more survivable for everyone, meaning the wildlife, the recreationists, and the people that just wanna go have a look, see and view that.

Champ, we are in the dark We saw him resurrecting a muscle car There was an oracle The Earth, it was a light show Hotter than a June kiss I'm blushing a shade of liquorish Ooh, when the night glows - You know, nationwide, there's about 90,000 head of wild horses on the range, and that's not including the reservations that are in Western United States.

Well, the wild horses tend to multiply and they tend to double their number as anything does at about every four years in the wild, and so if we have 800, in four years we're gonna have 1,600.

Someone close their eyes We can be a gunfight (gentle upbeat music) Ooh We can be a gunfight Ooh We can be a gunfight - [Dwayne] We are doing it not only for the good of everything else, but for the good of the horse too.

- In this area we have wildlife corridors for their migration systems because they travel like long distances, clear from south, clear up north.

So there's one for the mule deer and so they try to keep nothing built within that corridor so that they have their natural movement.

We've got four or five elk feed grounds that started back way, way back when to keep 'em out of the ranchers field and the ranchers hay, and so those elk naturally move to those areas anyways and so then there are feed grounds available if we have a really tough, tough winter that they can eat off of.

- So how do we find areas like this that are still relatively intact that we can protect in the long term?

There's not many of them left, and so that's what's so special about this place.

And we hope that folks who inherently care about wildlife and open space recognize that spots like this need to stay the same.

(energetic country music) (birds chirping) (water gurgling) (birds chirping) (energetic country music continues) (water roaring) (birds chirping) (energetic country music continues) I try to close my eyes Clear my mind Just ascend to wild fires grow Such whispers on the breeze They don't come easy now Over all this smoke Spent my youth along the fire They used to sing a tune so fine And the wind moved like an echo Carrying their voices I saw it in a dream Monuments of trees As the air we breathe turned our lungs to dust And the redwoods so tall And all their all began to rust Don't bend and sway at all That ancient dance was lost And the wind moved like an echo beside the gust (gentle upbeat country music) (gentle upbeat country music continues) (camera shutter clicking) (camera shutter clicking) - Well, the winds are pretty stunning.

- Definitely.

Loved it.

- I've never been any place like this before with my gear.

There was just photo after photo to be had.

We were fighting with the smoke, the haze some, but that's okay, I still feel like I got some shots that I'm happy with, what about you?

- I think I got some as well.

Again, this is not something I'm gonna see every day.

- Right.

- So I was really looking forward to coming out here and getting some of these shots so I think I checked all the boxes of the shots I wanted.

- [Chris] Good, so you checked off the boxes, including a new experience.

- Yes, definitely.

- Horseback riding.

What do you think?

What were your thoughts?

- Like I said, I think I had a better experience than you did.

- I'm a little sore.

I mean, I got out of bed this morning and it felt like a linebacker had hit me at full speed.

- A couple times.

- Yeah, a couple times.

But it was an awesome experience.

The whole thing's been an awesome experience.

- I miss my horse.

- You know, Yukon had that name, had that look.

I don't wanna belittle Sam anymore than I already have, but I'm just glad we survived.

- Yeah.

- And we survived so that we can continue to find some beauty and there's more to be had there.

It feels like it's endless.

- Yeah, it sure is.

- So I don't know about you, I'm looking forward to another adventure, finding some more views and getting some more photographs.

- Let's get to it, man.

- Let's make it happen.

- All right.

Freeze the frame to save forever (gentle music) Hollows in the woods call out Trails on mountains climb Waves and sand keep beat in time Mossy plains, swirling streams over rocks and dirt Running pace with all you Could we capture nature's wonder Find the rain and getting lost Freeze a frame to save forever Adventure worth the cost Bees and dandelions - [Announcer] National Roofing Partners deliver single-source commercial roofing solutions in all 50 states, through over 260 contractors nationwide.

National Roofing Partners is a proud sponsor of "View Finders."

(gentle music) - [Announcer] Sigma is proud to support photographers and filmmakers around the world.

And we believe creativity and sustainability go hand in hand.

(water rushing) - [Announcer] Every explorer seeks their own path, and the promise of what's to come.

The truth lies West.

- [Announcer] Georgia College and State University provides over 40 graduate program offerings, including doctorates in nursing and education.

Learn more at GCSU.edu.

- [Announcer] Troncalli Subaru is a proud sponsor of "View Finders."

(gentle music)