During my recent trip to Glacier National Park, I suffered the largest property loss of my lifetime. My Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens now resides in a valley thousands of feet below Logan Pass.

While parked at the visitor center at Logan Pass, I decided to walk a short distance along the historic "Going-to-the-Sun" road. A roadside waterfall had captured my attention. I tossed my backpack over my shoulders and began walking.

Before I reached the falls, I noticed another scene that appealed to me. It was a large, bare granite mountain peak with a forest of trees along its base. However, I didn't want to set my tripod up on the narrow road. And, there was only a small amount of stable ground to the side of the road. Eventually, I found a small area on the valley side of the roadside barrier where I could safely stand:

Accident area Once my footing was secure, I took my backpack off and prepared to rest it on the ledge. As my backpack was nearing the ledge, the zipper began to open from the side of the bag and the lens leaked out from the bag. Apparently, I had not zippered the bag entirely the last time I closed it. I watched in horror as the lens dropped onto the stones next to my feet. But, the worst was yet to come. The lens kept rolling beyond my reach and quickly accelerated as it bounced along boulders on its way down into the valley! Thankfully, I had enough sense not to reach for the lens as I would most likely have fallen along with it.

Logan Pass As devastating as this was, it could have been much, much worse. The zipper continued to unravel and three more lenses (14-24 2.8, 70-200 VRII and the 105 VR) as well as the camera (Nikon D800) began slipping away as well! I firmly pressed down on the backpack against the ledge and closed the zipper on the bag to prevent any further loss.

As sickening as this whole experience was, I had some fortunate events that helped to offset most of it:

• I was nearing the end of my 21 day trip, so at least I had my 24-70 available for the vast majority of my photo shoots.
• I didn't lose the camera or a single image.
• I previously purchased an insurance policy for my camera gear which covers accidents. I submitted my claim and I'm waiting for the settlement figure. However, my agent estimates that I'll be reimbursed for the initial cost of the lens ($1,550). I have already ordered and received my replacement lens from B&H Photo--and the lens is now priced at almost $1,900. My circular polarizer was also attached to the lens.
• At a photo shoot the next morning, I met a photographer who was using all of the same Nikon gear that I own. We met on three or four occasions for photo shoots and he generously offered his Nikon 24-70 to me for these shoots. It was with that borrowed 24-70 lens that I captured the following image of the St. Mary Falls at Glacier:

St. Mary Falls

Although I realized that the lens could never have survived such a fall, I hiked down into the valley on three occasions to search for it. I thought it might be helpful for insurance purposes if I could produce more solid evidence that the lens was damaged. I was also curious to see the extent of the damage. However, I never found the lens. It was probably lodged in some rocks or vegetation.

So, if you are ever in Glacier National Park, take a look around the valley by Logan Pass and you might just find a Nikon 24-70 lens!

UPDATE (August 20, 2012): My insurance company reimbursed me for the original cost of the lens ($1,550).