Forgetmenot Pond, Elbow Falls Trail

Back to Alberta for these four photos! I haven't even started going through all my photos from Day 3 of our trip to Ontario and Quebec in May.

This was just a short, spur-of-the-moment drive (like most of my outings seem to be) yesterday, 24 October 2018. My destination was Forgetmenot Pond, along the eastern edge of the Rockies. I also called in at Elbow Falls to take a few photos on the way home. I had been hoping to get out to this area all year, and finally made it.

Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area.

I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains.

youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4

I was glad that I had put my winter boots in my car, as when I reached my destination, i needed them. There was snow on the ground, which had partly melted and then frozen. The narrow path was just too icy to walk on in many places, so I only took a few photos at Forgetmenot Pond. Also, the light was awful, as there was no sign of the sun - not what the weather forecast had said. As I was leaving the city, the cloud formation was beautiful, but that quickly changed to solid, dreary cloud, which lasted all afternoon. I almost turned around and came home, as the distant mountains were far from clear. However, I had spent too much time the previous day, editing photos, and the constant mouse clicking had made my arm and shoulder more painful, so I really needed a break from my computer.