A day in the mountains

I haven't posted a mountain scene for quite a long time, as I rarely go to the mountains, and happened to come across this shot late last night. This winter scene was taken on a day trip to the mountains with friends, Cathy and Terry, on 7 December 2014. We set off about 7:45 a.m. (still dark) and drove westwards to the Kananaskis area of our majestic mountains. Early in the drive, the sunrise turned the still distant mountains pink. This is always such an amazing sight to see.

We drove the area of Highway 40 that was still open (the rest of this highway is closed during the winter months) and also the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail. This gravel road, south of Canmore, travels through the heart of the scenic Smith-Dorrien Valley, which is one of the wildest areas in Kananaskis. Can't remember if this was one of the many drive-by shots I took that day.

It was a day of mixed cloud and bright sunshine, resulting in rather spectacular light at times. The scenery was incredibly beautiful. There had been a recent snowfall and the trees in many places were still covered in snow, which turned everywhere into a winter wonderland. There was no wind and the temperatures hovered a few degrees around 0C. At times, very dark clouds made a great contrast to the gleaming white snow.

As well as mountain scenery, we were also lucky enough to find two Moose to watch and photograph. A female who was busy licking salt off cars, and a youngish male at a different location. I always feel so privileged when I witness any kind of wildlife, especially so when you get the chance to stay a while and watch the behaviour of the animal or bird you are lucky enough to see.