We got back from Ontario on New Year's Day, after a great visit with our families. We were home at a reasonable time, and so we had some energy on Monday to get out and do something. We were surprised to find that Vancouver had more snow on the ground than Toronto did, and that there had been a number of snowfalls while we were away.
The inukshuk on the drive into Callaghan was loaded down with snow. It was a good sign for what was to come.
Seeing as how we have had an epic start to the snow season, and we wanted to see what the conditions were like, we decided to do some snowshoeing, for at least part of the day. We got up at a reasonable hour, and both of us did some work to get caught up. Then we decided to head up to Ski Callaghan, the site of the Olympic nordic events just south of Whistler, to get a couple hours of play in the snow.
Getting ready to head out on the trails.
It was just before lunch time when we got organized and out the door, so we stopped in Squamish to have some lunch before completing the drive up to Callaghan. The road was a bit treacherous, but the conditions looked amazing. It was the first time we'd been out in a couple of seasons, as the snow wasn't very good last year.
We had snowshoed at Callaghan a couple of times before, but as it was early afternoon already, we didn't have a lot of time to explore something new. So we decided instead to stick with the trails that we know, and did the hike out to Alexander Falls.
There was lots of snow about, and a great day to be outside.
There was lots of time for goofing around.
Getting back out was a bit tougher.
The trail seemed to go on forever through the deep snow.
The conditions at Callaghan were amazing. There wasn't any fresh snow, but they had gotten a good meter of new snow less than a week before. And it was cold, so the snow was light and fluffy - perfect for making fresh tracks in the powder. We got geared up and headed out on the Wetland Explorer trail, off towards the falls.
The mountains looked amazing with all the fresh snow.
The goal of our hike - Alexander Falls, all frozen over and covered in ice.
The one side of the rock face was covered in the craziest icicles.
The ice make up some crazy looking formations.
Justine, off to get a closer look at the ice.
A short rest on the way back.
Everyone was happy and having a good day.
We had a great view of Black Tusk, off in the distance.
More amazing scenery, as the snow started to set.
Ski jump course, from the 2010 Olympics.
We ended up hiking for a couple of hours, and at this time of year with the late start, that meant that we were pushing the extent of daylight. It was a fabulous day, and there were some good photo opps along the way.
One of the great things about winter landscapes is that they make for great black and white photography. So I have included below, some of the photos I converted. I hope you like them!
