It was dark when I arose this morning but a quick check of the radar raised my hopes that I was going to get a chance to recover those spring snow pictures I accidentally deleted the other day. The snow had moved on out of the area and my mountains were in the clear. Final plans would have to wait for sunrise.
And a beautiful morning it was. Sunshine came streaming in through the front windows and the peak was bathed in sunshine and covered in fresh brilliant white snow. It only took a minute to get my boots on and sling my camera over my shoulder. The snow wasn’t quite deep enough to warrant snow shoes but in several places a coat of ice under the snow made me wish I had brought them.
The peak was indeed beautiful and the pine forest was also a magical bluish white in the early morning light. An occasional breeze sent streams of snow cascading down from the trees in almost waterfall like streams. Fresh elk tracks in the snow attracted my attention so I followed them for a while hoping or a glimpse of the elusive beasts. Soon it became apparent that an entire herd had bedded down near there, but the trail led straight up the side of the mountain which was far too slippery for me to negotiate on this snowy morning.
After getting some good shots of the brilliantly light peak my attention turned to photographing the streams of snow blowing down from the trees. As the sun peeked over the top of the ridge the blowing snow was illuminated with golden sunshine. I paused to take in the glory of this winter wonderland and to try to do the scene justice with a few snaps of the camera. Haven’t had time yet to do a lot of editing but it looks like this morning’s hike was a great success.
