Sitting in the middle of the lake

On 26 January 2015, friends and I came across this scene and were left shaking our heads! There were several ice-fishermen out in the middle of the Spray Lakes reservoir, surrounded by melting ice. I have no idea how they managed to get out there, but I know that a much easier and safer way to get fish is to go to ones local supermarket! I think the temperature during the day varied from around 1C to a high of 8C.

The Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail in Kananaskis Country (the closest area of the mountains west of the city) is a gravel road, south of Canmore. It travels through the heart of the scenic Smith-Dorrien Valley, which is one of the of the wildest areas in Kananaskis. For years, I had read about this road and how not to drive along it when the weather was poor or if it had been raining. However, usually when I have been there with friends, Cathy and Terry, we have found the road to be in good condition, unlike much of this particular day.

The three of us had a great day in this area, even though we had to deal with ice everywhere. Parts of the road were bare, other parts wet and muddy and the rest were a solid sheet of ice. Each time we stopped to take photos or watch wildlife, we were surrounded by ice. Consequently, I took most of my photos either from inside the car (which usually doesn't work!) or else standing and holding on to the car, which resulted in heat distortion/blur from the car. Most of my shots needed to be deleted : ((!

Thanks so much, Cathy and Terry, for yet another great day in the mountains - always so much fun! I really needed this wonderful day spent with the healing power of nature!