Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park January 10, 2022

It was my wish to be at The Ranch to watch the sunrise then hike for a few hours.  As I started out, little did I know my timing would be perfect for enjoying the calm before the chinook!   In a twenty-four hour period the temperature changed by +25 degrees.  That meant no need for extreme nor legendary snow pants, nor down jacket, nor heavy mitts, nor heavy hat.  Donning regular winter wear and being out here at sunrise made life almost seem normal!   

view to the east as I arrived at the valley bottom

view of the trail to the north which I passed by

I opted to gain a bit of elevation so aimed for Yodel. 

No flash nor spotlight needed, the rising sun did the work. 

view along Yodel ridgeline

With the sun now fully up, the pink hues had faded away. The trail and loop along The Bow were open so I ventured down that way.  Others had not been recently and there was no beaten down path.  The snow had drifted across the trail so it took wobbly work to get through numerous long stretches.  

This was the prettiest section along the river.  The wind swept the ice clean.  Further west the river still had a narrow opening and was running. Large snow-covered ice chucks lined the shore.  The chucks were not yet at their prime for photographing.  I stomped my way back to the trail where I could finish the loop.

The view to the west was so crystal clear and beautiful!  

A light breeze began and the clouds were beginning to set up.....

.....to form a chinook!

I made it up out of the valley then took one last short trail to where I could get a grand view to the west.  After enjoying a bit of time here and capturing one last location photo, I began to head back to the parking lot.  Just as I left the lookout and then just like that,  the chinook hit hard and the wind whipped with fierce force.  

that's a chinook arch

I pushed against the wind, at times it near blew me off my feet.  In the short distance between the lookout and the parking lot, I worked the hardest I have worked in a long time.  I arrived back to the parking area and noticed the reflection in the windows of the new education centre.

I struggled to prop the car door open long enough against the wind so I could quickly slip in.  I felt for those just arriving to begin their hike. With a day of chinooking , I now wonder what all this warm weather will bring!