"When you know better....

.....you do better!"

Just short of a two hour drive west of Calgary will get you to Lake Louise in Banff National Park.  My guesstimate of how many times I got there over the years would be about a hundred give or take a few.  While we can get there again now, we could not in April!  As a National Park it was declared off limits to help protect everyone from the world's happenings.  Staying close to home, or in my home, I laid down coloured pencil colours on papers as an escape and much needed distraction.   My first ever sketch was of the Egypt Lake Shelter then my next project was Lake Louise.  The tools I owned back in April were $10.00 for 24 pencils and a $3.00 sketch book.    

Now seven months later, it was time for a re-do sketch of this beautiful lake.  

When you know better you do better!

my photo of Lake Louise that I used as a reference

This was the sketch I did back in April.  At that time I was so proud of it and with only two completed sketches in my collection, I was already hooked.  I knew one day down the road I would once again sketch my reference photo from scratch.   

Lake Louise is one of my favourite places!  I have been in all seasons and in all weather conditions.  I like it in the mornings, on the verge of winter, when the Lake is beginning to freeze over.  Yet, when Lake Louise really captures my heart are those days that are bitterly frigid cold and the area is dressed in a brand new layer of winter white!  

Ford Knoll & Forgetmenot Pond November 26, 2020

With December just around the corner, it was time to stop putting off one last visit out to the Little Elbow Valley area before the gate is closed on the 1st and remaining closed until May 14th of 2021.  Today was the only day I had open so I put a plan in place to see the sunrise at Forgetmenot Pond then to cross the road and hike the Ford Knoll Loop.  My hope was for a decent day weather-wise and scenery-wise!  

The sky was perking up as I pulled into the parking lot at The Pond.  After gathering my gear for the sunrise walkabout and for the hike, I hit the short path to The Pond and oh what a presentation!  There was just enough pink in the sky, just enough ice, just enough open water, just enough snow, just enough light! 

 

Just Enough = Perfect!  

I placed my camera at water level to capture the underneath side of the slice of ice.

I spent about an hour at The Pond circling it twice.  As the pinks turned to white and the sky became very bright, I left Forgetmenot Pond saying so-long until May of next year.  Now it was time to hike the Ford Knoll Loop.  I did this hike back in October and today I was happy it would feel like a different hike given the different conditions.  The view on the other side of the cattle gate near the trail head.  

view looking back just before entering the forest

It was a quick ascent up to the view point.  No one had been off the main trail to the view point recently as I found my way through untouched snow.  Here you can see down below Route 66 and where it meets with Powderface Trail.  The little indent to the left in the middle of the photo near the bottom is the parking area for the hike up to Powderface Ridge East and where you would turn to get to Forgetmenot Pond.  

perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking Powderface Trail below & Powderface Ridge straight across

It was an enjoyable walk through the forest on a snow packed trail.

I liked that this time there were loads of cloud designs to add character to the views.

While that October visit here had pretty sights, I like it much better with the touches of snow.

no snow to speak of over there on Forgetmenot Ridge

There was a creek crossing near the bottom of the trail.  

The stepping stones were slightly slippery so I took it slowly and surely.  

Safely on the other side, I spent several minutes here admiring such beauty.   

Back at the bottom it was a matter of just following the trail to the cattle gate.

I unhooked the gate and passed through then took one last look back 

once again saying so-long see you in May of 2021.  

While my hope was for a decent day weather-wise & scenery-wide, I got so much more than I hoped for!  

mountain intimacy

While searching through my seasonal collection of summit shots seeking the perfect one to sketch it became obvious very quickly that Prairie Mountain would be my inspiration.  While it is not my most favourite mountain by any means nor is it the most glamorous, it is the summit I have been most intimate with.  I have endured a love/hate relationship with this mountain over the years.   The relationship began during a white out blizzard on November 11th of 2009 and I last paid a visit on August 4th of 2020.   I have been to that rock pile a couple dozen times in between, during all seasons, through all weather conditions. 

This sketch shows a view from the summit of Prairie Mountain. You can see Moose Mountain to the right with the fire lookout on top.  To the left are the snow covered mountain peaks in the Kananaskis area with the rolling foothills in front.  My main focus for this sketch was to lay down my new lesson which was to sketch a realistic pile of rocks.  Also I wanted to make sure it appeared as if the flag was waving.  I continue to work on improving the rendering of mountains, trees and ground cover. 

This photo was my main resource for the sketch.

This is a collection of some of my adventures on Prairie Mountain.   A favourite is the top left when I spent a mid August night up there to witness the Perseids Meteor Shower and seeing a meteor a minute over an hour time frame!  You never know what will be facing you when you exit the forest for the wide open last push to the summit.  I have been gifted many amazing experiences and that is when I fall in love with Prairie Mountain all over again!  

 

Powderface Pass November 23, 2020

These days there are still some nice gifts presented to us so I chase after those like crazy!  The weather forecast and driving conditions were to be ideal today for an escape from reality.  There is something about being in the forest lately that I crave yet I still desire those higher up wide open spaces that afford a grand view.  The trail head to Powderface Pass is not too far of a stretch from home and from past experiences here, I was quite sure there would be no crowds to contend with.  I could get my forest fill and my vast vistas plus the extra bonus for today, there was to be no wind!

As I hiked along the dark forest section of the trail, the sky began to light up.  

The clouds appeared more as rays that lit the way.      

The sun is on the verge of peaking through the opening in the bottom of the tallest tree in the middle.

I hoped I had timed it right and sure enough I did.  Just as I broke through the forest to the Pass, the sun rose above the ridge.  Once the sun was fully up, the few clouds that did decorate the sky quickly disappeared.  There was no wind, it was not frigid, these negatives were positives.  

The whole pass lit up!  

I lit up too!

There was no need to seek shelter today for snack time.  I settled myself in a wide open space where I felt the sun on my shoulders, had the full stretch of Nihahi before me and to my ears I heard nothing but the birds singing sweet songs.  My beverage of choice was decaf chai latte paired with a teaspoon of hot chocolate powder.  

My summit visit was not complete yet so I meandered around the Pass to see a few more sights and secure some more shots.  In places the snow had drifted and created a smooth canvas for a shadow to lay upon.   To the left of here there was a beaten trail heading up to Powderface Ridge and I contemplated for a second following it but knew it would not be a smart option for me for today. 

While meandering about I found a slice of ice.  

What a piece of work!  

When I held it towards the sun, this was the outcome!  

I like the little star bursts on the edges of the ice.

I did not see those until I loaded my photos once I got home.

I like how the thoughts that work their way through my mind on the way back from being "out & about" are so different from the thoughts that I begin the day with or the hike with.  At times lately it takes time being in our mountain playground  to make me feel like I can deal with whatever the world throws our way these days! 

 

nothing but a big pile of ......

A simple pile of rocks have played a big part in my life over the past many years!  They were also included in some of my sketches these recent months but I was piling them on paper the best way I knew how.  It was time to learn the proper technique!  While they are just a simple pile of rocks, it is more than a simple task to get them to look realistic.   After investing numerous hours in a few lessons, by George I think I've got it!  

This is what it took!  I knew I could get there one way or another!

It's a pile of rocks like these that bring joy to my life!  Just like piling them on paper is not an easy task, reaching these is not an easy task.  This is simply a single sampling showing some of the summit shots I secured over the past several seasons.  I have a hundred or so more in my collection.  Along with shedding  some blood, sweat and tears in reaching some summits, there also comes a great sense of accomplishment the second of arrival at every single pile of rocks that sits on a mountain top or at a pass or at a ridge's high point.  

Now that I feel that sense of accomplishment in laying a pile of rocks on paper and having it look realistic, I am ready to push boundaries and try my hand at replicating one of my summit shots.  Now to find the perfect one, I did say I have a hundred or so in my collection!  Stay Tuned! 

SugarMama Bobcat Fullerton November 20, 2020

It seemed like ages since I had been out into a mountainous region but it had not been, I was there last week! While at times it feels like time is flying, at other times it feels like life is standing still!  At times I feel like I am going in circles, getting no where, that's when I don't like circles! Today I liked a circle, a circle that was not perfect but rather all over the place and mis-shaped. It was a loop!  My idea of ideal for me for today was to hike along the Elbow River Trail, head up Sugar Mama, pick up the veer off onto Bobcat and then reach the intersection for Fullerton and follow it back to where I started the day.  This hike offered a space to sit, stare, savour, see, sights, sip!   

I was first to arrive at the parking lot this morning.  Early means wonderful light in the sky and a quiet trail.  The trail is a well used one with visible tracks of all kinds and this morning the tracks were covered in a light new dusting of sweet sugar.  

feeling hugged by tall trees

the morning is waking up with a golden glow 

autumn is well on the way to winter

some sights along the Sugar Mama trail

The sun was high enough to shine through the forest. 

It shone brightly onto the trail.  

The alignment was perfect for a matter of minutes.  

a chinook in the making

Before heading off onto Fullerton, I veered to the right to an open slope.

There was a spot I knew would be good to just take some time.  

It was also time for a location shot.  

These days while time seems to fly yet at the same time stand still, the hours are filled with life's happenings whether good or not so good.  Right here, right now it was time to fill some time with nothing but the right here and now!  It's time for all those "s" words:  sit, stare, savour, see, sights, sip!

When the wind picked it, it began to whip the clouds into shape!

It was time to pack up and move on up the trail.

one last stop along Fullerton 

I am once again feeling that feeling that I feel when I am full of fulfillment!     

Confluence Park (after the fog) November 17, 2020

What I woke to this morning thwarted the plan that was in place to be "out & about".  With highway conditions being reported on the bottom of the user-friendly scale and visibility near zero, I needed to save the day in some way.  That some way was inside being cozy, comfortable and creative.  I knew once the fog dissapated the sights could be pretty so I had some gear by the door ready to go at a moments notice.  Into mid afternoon that moment came and quickly I was out the door to Confluence Park.  Quickly is saying it mildly as the sun did its own thing quickly and that was melt all the frostiness. I did have success early into my walk.   

spruce tree with a layer of thick white

siberian larch tree still holding needles

the finer details of the aftermath of a foggy morning

The muskrat was back and forth foraging for foliage for its home. 

The sun was working its way down as I was working my way up from the creekside.

late afternoon long shadows

The golden glow comes early these days!

I do enjoy being "out & about" in the early morning hours but today's mid to late afternoon lighting was so pretty.  From being physically creative inside to seeing ideas for creativity outside, I felt contentment with today's day savers!