After a very mild spell in late December and early January, winter has caught up with us at last. We’ve been in the deep freeze for the past few days and today, I chose to emerge, brave the cold and record some winter scenes. Why? It’s beautiful and I’ve had enough of staying indoors. Today’s weather wasn’t bad, albeit a bit cold at -24 deg C (-11 deg F). It was partly overcast, meaning we did see the sun. A little bit. The light wasn’t bad so I was able to get some satisfying pictures. I know I’ve captured how winter looks in Canmore, perhaps I’ve also succeeded in showing what cold looks like! For those Canadians living in other, more temperate parts of the country this is a reminder of the good old days when we all got cold weather. For those Albertans who’ve fled to warmer climes, see what you’re missing! Today’s pictures were all taken in Canmore. I also went to Banff and I hope to share some of those shots in a later post.
I begin today with proof that the sun did make an appearance. This first picture was taken at the Canmore Nordic Centre and shows the sun emerging from behind Ha Ling Peak. For those of us living on the south side of the valley, the sun sets behind the mountains around 2:00 PM, but then re-emerges around 3:00 PM, shining through Whiteman’s Gap between Ha Ling Peak and Mount Rundle.
From the Nordic Centre, I moved on to the banks of the Bow River for the rest of today’s pictures. This next picture looks down river toward the Three Sisters, Canmore’s iconic landmark. You can see the mist rising from the river’s surface. That’s because the water is so much warmer than the air above it. Our dry air is a magnet for moisture but soon after it rises from the river it freezes. Looking a little further down river , you can see where the freezing mist has accumulated on the evergreens.
I then moved upstream past the bridge to get this next picture, looking upstream in the direction of Banff. In the distance, you can see Cascade Mountain, one of Banff’s well know landmarks. On the right side of the valley is the Fairholme Range, on the left, Mount Rundle. The mist you see obscuring much of the view of Mount Rundle on the left is created by the snow-making guns at the Nordic Centre.
By now, I was eager to get back to the car. Nonetheless, I found time for one last photograph, featuring a frozen-looking bush on the shoreline. This is a better look at mist freezing on a convenient surface. It looks quite pretty, not a bad idea for a Christmas tree. By now it was time to go. Back to the car!
Stay warm, I’ll be back with some more winter scenes later.
Great shots Peter. They must have been painful to capture.
Fortunately they look even better from my vantage point in AZ.
Terry