February 15 - Sun and Snow

While I love the bright blue sky of a winter day, I find that those kinds of days are hard on my eyes. The brilliance and glare of sun on snow shrinks the pupils of my eyes to tiny pinpoints. Obviously this decreases what I am able to see. Even sunglasses can’t seem to counteract the effect.

It was a day like this when Lyle and I drove to the mountain top of Panorama in BC. Because the light was so bright, we chose to walk along the more shaded trail by Toby Creek rather than being out in the open.  The trail started near the chair lift and meandered a couple of kilometers to a little bridge. It was so pleasant and for winter, quite warm. Every so often a clump of melting snow would thump down from one of the trees which bordered the trail. I could hear the ripple of water as it broke through the ice on the creek. Even though it was February I could hear the chirping of the forest birds.

On the following day we were made aware of how quickly the weather can change. The sky was overcast and as we began our drive back to Alberta there was a light snowfall. Although I find an overcast sky a bit depressing, it was much easier for me to see. We stopped at Simpson River on the way back from Radium to Banff and Lyle took the following picture. Simpson River is one of our favourite spots. In days gone by we would often stop there and put on our cross country skis. 

Sue at Simpson River