Rick C
March 22nd, 2008, 06:41 PM
Out here on the bald butt prairie, the buds are coming up on the trees, the grass is greening and everything else is otherwise brown and snowless . . . .
But on Good Friday, Abby and Keeper and I went in search of winter, into the high country of Kananaskis Country, ascending to Chester Lake in mid-winter, a task that had defeated our ill-prepared expedition in early January.
Below, after an hour of uphill slogging out of the valley, we came to an open, flat stretch, certainly welcome relief . . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/DSC_3492-edit1.jpg
Below, Abby takes a break on the trail . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/DSC_3501-edit1.jpg
Below, as with our previous visit in January, the weather was eerie, sunny and snowing at the same time . . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3569-edit1.jpg
Below, Abby, through the forest . . . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3511-edit1.jpg
. . . . . . and, below, through the creeks . . . . about five or six feet of snow here, judging by the mostly buried signage.
http://www.goldentales.ca/DSC_3516-edit1.jpg
Below, to tell you the truth, here at the top of the world, there's not much to see of a lake in mid-winter, unlike the summer and fall.
http://www.goldentales.ca/DSC_3529-edit1.jpg
Below, Keeper on the descent while Abby tends to her feet. . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3567-edit1.jpg
Below, on the descent, we came across some strange looking glossy patterns in the snow, almost like a cross-country skier had been braking the entire way . . . . but then we encountered a pair of young, college-age women, the happy-go-lucky sort, hiking up the trail, round, plastic toboggans in hand.
They'd been hurtling themselves down the trail, through the trees on their plastic sheets . . . . and enduring probably a 20 or 30 minute walk back up to where they could start to do it again.
"Howz your day going?" said one to me by way of greeting, gentling stroking a grateful Keeper's head.
"How could I possibly be having a bad day?," I answered, looking at the mountains around us.
"True enough," she laughed. "This is the best place in the world to be right now."
We nodded silently in agreement and then they were gone.
True enough. The local toboggan run . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3568-edit1.jpg
Below, about 20 feet away, no more than 30 feet . . . . a cheeky coyote ambles by the Durango. You'll notice it's a "pan" shot, the coyote head in focus but the background blurring in motion as I tracked it.
We were tootling down a back country gravel road, Abby with her head happily out the window behind me and Keeper snoozing off the long hike to the lake.
The coyote was jumping up on the snowpiles along the side of the road, so I slowed down to a crawl and grabbed the camera beside me. I always travel with a long lense attached for just such an occurance.
Surprisingly, the coyote abandoned its getaway and jumped down onto the road. I pulled modestly over to the side. The coyote gravitated to the middle of the road and trotted towards us . . . . then beside us and then past us. Very calm. Keeping its eyes on Abby.
Not sure if it's had "Domestic Dog Sandwiches" before or if it had been fed at campsites to make it bolder but it was an unusual reaction and the attention was on Abby with no fear of myself.
Driving across the prairie, I frequently have coyotes dashing across the highway in front of me, but they'll charge about 100 feet into a field before they stop to turn and look back at me. They don't let anyone get close at all.
This guy didn't care. Hence the nice portrait. I shot a long sequence of him. That's just one of the shots.
Earlier in the day, we had seen a coyote chasing a deer across a highway, off into the forest.
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3570-edit1.jpg
Rick C
www.goldentales.ca
But on Good Friday, Abby and Keeper and I went in search of winter, into the high country of Kananaskis Country, ascending to Chester Lake in mid-winter, a task that had defeated our ill-prepared expedition in early January.
Below, after an hour of uphill slogging out of the valley, we came to an open, flat stretch, certainly welcome relief . . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/DSC_3492-edit1.jpg
Below, Abby takes a break on the trail . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/DSC_3501-edit1.jpg
Below, as with our previous visit in January, the weather was eerie, sunny and snowing at the same time . . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3569-edit1.jpg
Below, Abby, through the forest . . . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3511-edit1.jpg
. . . . . . and, below, through the creeks . . . . about five or six feet of snow here, judging by the mostly buried signage.
http://www.goldentales.ca/DSC_3516-edit1.jpg
Below, to tell you the truth, here at the top of the world, there's not much to see of a lake in mid-winter, unlike the summer and fall.
http://www.goldentales.ca/DSC_3529-edit1.jpg
Below, Keeper on the descent while Abby tends to her feet. . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3567-edit1.jpg
Below, on the descent, we came across some strange looking glossy patterns in the snow, almost like a cross-country skier had been braking the entire way . . . . but then we encountered a pair of young, college-age women, the happy-go-lucky sort, hiking up the trail, round, plastic toboggans in hand.
They'd been hurtling themselves down the trail, through the trees on their plastic sheets . . . . and enduring probably a 20 or 30 minute walk back up to where they could start to do it again.
"Howz your day going?" said one to me by way of greeting, gentling stroking a grateful Keeper's head.
"How could I possibly be having a bad day?," I answered, looking at the mountains around us.
"True enough," she laughed. "This is the best place in the world to be right now."
We nodded silently in agreement and then they were gone.
True enough. The local toboggan run . . .
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3568-edit1.jpg
Below, about 20 feet away, no more than 30 feet . . . . a cheeky coyote ambles by the Durango. You'll notice it's a "pan" shot, the coyote head in focus but the background blurring in motion as I tracked it.
We were tootling down a back country gravel road, Abby with her head happily out the window behind me and Keeper snoozing off the long hike to the lake.
The coyote was jumping up on the snowpiles along the side of the road, so I slowed down to a crawl and grabbed the camera beside me. I always travel with a long lense attached for just such an occurance.
Surprisingly, the coyote abandoned its getaway and jumped down onto the road. I pulled modestly over to the side. The coyote gravitated to the middle of the road and trotted towards us . . . . then beside us and then past us. Very calm. Keeping its eyes on Abby.
Not sure if it's had "Domestic Dog Sandwiches" before or if it had been fed at campsites to make it bolder but it was an unusual reaction and the attention was on Abby with no fear of myself.
Driving across the prairie, I frequently have coyotes dashing across the highway in front of me, but they'll charge about 100 feet into a field before they stop to turn and look back at me. They don't let anyone get close at all.
This guy didn't care. Hence the nice portrait. I shot a long sequence of him. That's just one of the shots.
Earlier in the day, we had seen a coyote chasing a deer across a highway, off into the forest.
http://www.goldentales.ca/CSC_3570-edit1.jpg
Rick C
www.goldentales.ca