With the threat of afternoon storms for monday I got up and out early to make a wonderful circuit from Highwood Pass over two summits and across a pinnacle ridge while making it back to the truck before the thunder started. It wasn't a great day for photography (to say the least) but I really enjoyed it and will keep it in mind for a return visit in better weather. Click here for full hike and pics.
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Today saw my last outing with Cecil for at least a couple of years as he sets off on another adventure to Asia next week. With the winter gate across highway 40 now open it was an easy choice to pick out Elbow Lake and the valley beyond as our last outing. It was around 30 degrees so grafting up a steep hill was never on the cards but the beauty of the elbow valley more than made up for the simplicity of the hike. We spent a great 5 hours in and around the valley and lake, found some new sights and whetted the appetite for more of the area. It was a great swan song for Cecil (good luck in Singapore mate) click below for larger shots of this lovely valley.
We really love this view in the evening as the sun goes down, and occasionally just after the sun has set it is even better, click the image below for a larger version so you can see the stars just appearing in the night sky.
With the threat of showers for the afternoon I didn't fancy going far today so I went on a bit of a fact finding mission in the Elbow Valley. I was trying to find the trail to Mt Glasgow and really thought I had got it at one point but the floods have killed any chance of finding it I think.I did get a far better understanding of the area after following animal trails through forest and watershed for 10km beginning from the Harold Chapman suspension bridge at the Little Elbow Campground. Click gallery below for larger captioned versions.
I made perhaps my best Canadian hike yet yesterday when I set out to Mt Smutwood. Perhaps not the most endearing of names Smutwood is a real journey into the backcountry, little wonder I saw three bears, strangely enough 1 black, 1 brown and 1 grizzly. As always there are a few shots in the gallery below but you will be missing a belter is you don't click here for the full story.
With storms still drifting all across the prairies today we decided to stay home watching TV. Then, while we were enjoying views from home via episode whatever of 'Broadchurch' Sarah pointed out of the window and said "is that a tornado". "Not yet" was my reply as I scurried off downstairs to grab the camera, it was in fact a 'Funnel Cloud'. Funnel Clouds are generally the cause of tornados but many of them simply come and go without reaching sufficient rotational force to touchdown. I was nice to see and better still to 'catch' on camera ..... maybe my days as a storm chaser are just beginning.
I've had my eye on Moose Mountain since we got here but there are so many mountains here it's easy to forget one and go off chasing another and that is what I've been doing for so long. Anyway, it's another successful summit and on to the next now. The gallery below has a few shots or you can click here for the full hike.
Highwood Pass reopened today following its usual winter closure and with the threat of thunderstorms it provided me an opportunity to do a more low level wander to a chain of 4 lakes dotted in front of the Highwood Range. Picklejar Lakes are very popular but today I had them all to myself :) The gallery below shows a small selection of shots from there or you can click here to see the whole hike.
After a great night capturing the aurora at Lake Minnewanka the daylight woke me after just 4.5 hours sleep, though I really fancied a lazy day the weather drove me out to the hills where I ticked off another of the spiked ridges along highway 40. There are a few images of the hike in the gallery below but you can see the whole thing and more pics by clicking here.
With the promise of a decent Aurora last night I was disappointed to see clouds filling the horizon, I had planned to make the journey west to Banff (specifically Lake Minnewanka) to capture some of that wonderful phenomenon. I checked my usual sources which all said the sky would clear over Banff around midnight, I didn't really believe it but packed up the camera gear while Sarah made me a flask but I made the drive out there with little hope. The cloud was extensive but it did clear around 11:30pm for just a couple of hours and in that time I got to see some nice aurora. It sure looks more interesting in the mountains and the dark skies really bring out a staggering number of stars. I got home at 3.30am with just enough shots to make me want to do it all again. All the way home the sky was filled with cloud and I realised I must have been sat in a 'hole' peeping through and was exceptionally lucky to get these shots, which made it all the sweeter.
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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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The Shaman, West Texas
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