After a miserable weekend of rain, where we only managed to get out to the river and back by dodging showers, I was ready for a hike in the sunshine on Monday morning. I opted for the upper lake where I would have a choice of routes depending on the conditions. On arrival I spoke to a few people returning from Rawson Lake, they told me the lake was still frozen so I decided against that. I considered a circuit of the upper lake but that's one I usually save for autumn, it's too early for Three Isle Lake due to snow and I didn't fancy Indefatigable Ridge owing to thick melting snow in the forest.
So, by a process of elimination I decided on Hidden Lake, it's a nice 12 km round trip along the south side of the Upper Lake before branching off at Mt Lyautey and cutting through the forest to the Hidden Valley. As I set out the wind dropped to almost nothing so I decided to hike beside the lake and make a few shots of the remaining ice and the reflections. Little did I know it was going be so still, for approximately 45 minutes the wind just died away leaving the upper lake as perfectly calm as I've ever seen it. I took my time along the shore and made multiple images of this stunning sight. I made the hike to Hidden Lake, which was almost dry owing to the very low water levels across all of the lakes right now, and I confess I was 'feeling it' by the time I got back to the truck. I decided to only post the lake reflections as they were the highlight of the day by some measure and the other images were dull in comparison. So without further adieu, here's the upper lake as you've never seen it before.
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The weather was supposed to be miserable today but as the afternoon approached, the skies cleared to blue patches with showers. That was enough for me to get the boots on and make the short drive down to the Elbow Valley.
The winter gate that blocks access to the Elbow Valley Campgrounds and hiking trails reopens in mid May for the 'May long' weekend holiday, so this was my first foray down here this year. I was genuinely surprised by the amount of snow still covering Glasgow, Cornwall and Banded peak but I hadn't intended reaching any of those today. I just fancied a wander along the little elbow trail. I ended up making a nice 10 km round trip with some scrambling up a dry waterfall in Nihahi Creek. On the way out I saw the wild horse herd and they had a yearling and new foal with them and were in good condition, which is great to see so soon after winter. There's not much to offer in terms of images today, the main shot shows the summits with their snow covering and the elbow river winding through the valley. I didn't get rained on and it was great to be out hiking again on a wonderful, peaceful afternoon. The May long weekend is a big deal here in Canada. Some of the winter restrictions are removed from the mountains in the Elbow Valley and campgrounds reopen for business, it's the start of the 'good days to come'.
We don't tend to go far on 'May-Long' because everyone is going everywhere, roads are backed up and the mountains are overrun. Strange really as most of the locations have been available for months but it's this weekend that shakes off the winter woes and drags families back to the mountains. This year the weather for 'May-Long' has been miserable, rain and thick cloud have dominated throughout, but we've walked by the river every day and the evenings have provided a little colour. The garden wildlife continues to entertain us with the return of some of the summer birds and a new baby squirrel loitering around the feeder. That new squirrel is going to have to keep his eyes peeled, as we've also have a Sharp Shinned Hawk on the garden fence eyeing up the treeline and its inhabitants. The main image today shows some lovely lenticular clouds streaming across the distant mountains (taken from our deck in the garden) the gallery below has captions. Snow coverage in the mountains of Kananaskis continues to restrict hiking and scrambling activities, so Cecil and I travelled an hour south of Calgary to Frank Lake. We have been here a few times now and find it makes a great day out for photo practice.
There is always a good selection of bird life and it makes a nice change from the repeated snow capped mountain shots of winter. We spent quite some time trying to capture the Arctic Terns in flight as they stalled to hover over the lake, it's quite challenging as they only hover for 2 or 3 seconds before diving into the water. We walked around to the point where yellow headed blackbirds were everywhere and we watched a Muskrat enjoy his lunch (see post below) A visit to the hide saw Ruddy ducks, Grebes and other waterfowl too, it was a great and sunny afternoon. The only downside was the huge number of flies though they do attract the birds, they also show up on the images like dust specks. Anyway, here's a few shots from an enjoyable day, my favourites being the Terns and the fun we had trying to capture their aerobatic displays. The Muskrat is a mid size rodent that can be found in almost every water hole in north america. Sarah and I always check for them in any water hole we pass, and rarely are we disappointed. They are not actually a rat, they're more of a huge vole which bears a passing resemblance to a small beaver.
While visiting Frank Lake today I got to see one of these guys up close for a good long time as he enjoyed his lunch by the lake. I made a short series of images so you can share the experience. |
AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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January 2024
The Shaman, West Texas
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