Our First Trip of 2014

It didn’t take long, we departed from home on January 1. We went west into British Columbia, about 1-1/2 hours by car to spend two days at the Emerald Lake Lodge. We traveled with our friends, Gail and Paul Murphy and had a very relaxing stay at one of our favourite destinations. It’s not really remote, just a few kilometres off the Trans Canada Highway, near Field B.C. But it feels quite isolated with no television, no radio and no cell phone coverage. They’ve made some minor concessions to modern technology (a wifi network) so you can send emails and texts but after a few hours you lose any compulsion to be connected. It feels very reminiscent of the “old days”, 20 years ago.

I was in the area a few times last year on day trips to take photographs. I begin today’s pictures with two shots of Emerald Lake, one from last July and the other from yesterday. It’s not difficult to tell the difference. You will observe that both pictures were taken from the same location and that’s where the similarity ends. Its difficult to prefer winter over summer or vice versa. The greenery of the landscape, the colour of the flowers and of course, the emerald hue of the  lake makes a compelling argument  in favour of summer. 

But, I think you’ll be persuaded by the pictures that follow that the beauty of winter is hard to deny. This next shot features a corner of Emerald Lake that you cross to reach the peninsula where the lodge is located. Only a small patch of open water remains and it certainly isn’t green as in summer. The snow is pristine, a blanket of white over everything. The trees are laden with it and you wonder how the branches support the weight. I took this picture from the bridge that spans this corner of the lake, leading to the lodge.

Following is a picture of the bridge, it too covered with snow. He’s difficult to see but there’s a man on the bridge, shovelling snow over the side. That’s a full-time job! It snowed the entire time we were there and you can see from the accumulation that snowfall is not unusual. In the background is a popular, summertime restaurant, frequented largely by tourists, Cilantro’s on the Lake.

Looking north from the bridge, I was able to photograph one of the few peaks I could see in two days, Wapta Mountain. It emerged from the clouds for a short while yesterday and I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

We stayed two nights in a cabin near the main lodge. This next picture taken in the evening gives you a sense of the amount of snow that piles up in this winter wonderland.

And ice too! Some icicles hanging from the wall of the main lodge.

I conclude today’s post with another view of Cilantro’s on the Lake, one of my favourite shots from this trip. The setting is spectacular with Emerald Peak and the President in the background, the lake in the foreground and the bridge leading the eye to the centrepiece of the scene.. Cover it all with snow and I think it beats the same view in summer.

We enjoyed great weather, temperatures just below freezing and no wind. The snow was falling softly, perfect for outdoor activity. And to top it all off, we really enjoyed the hospitality of the main lodge and the warmth of its many fireplaces. We will return.