Since the snow had been pummelling us I’d put away the camera until we reached cover but that doesn’t mean a lot didn’t happen! In addition to the snow, the trail became significantly more treacherous. The shallow hoof prints from the horses slowly became trenches that would engulf our feet up to our ankles. Cold, wet, and miserable would sum up how I felt for most of the time but it was strongly contrasted by the aw and adoration I had for the incredible views around us in the valley.

     A significant amount of kilometers later we passed Amethyst Lake. Due to the snow, we could barely see it from the trail but had our sights set on some cabins we knew were on the far side of the lake. Our bags were dragging us down and once we were home we weighed them only to discover that the rain and snow added an extra 30 lbs! After what seemed to be forever we made it to the cabins hoping someone would be there to let us in to warm up and relax for a bit. Unfortunately the cabins were desolate but luckily they were unlocked so we sought refuge from the cold. We were all tempted to stay there for the night but hadn’t booked in advance so after a few hours of drying off and trying to stay warm we doubled back to the Amethyst campsite and cut out the 6km we had originally planned for.

     Like the night before we set up our tent and the snow from earlier in the day had almost completely melted. The entire time after crossing over the pass I was on the edge of feeling miserable yet riveted by the experience I was enveloped in. Our last decision for the night was that if it got any worse we would head back in the morning but if not we would enjoy the gorgeous Amethyst Lake for another day or two.

     Thanks for reading and if you haven’t yet check out my newly updated portfolio! B & W Landscapes is something I’ve wanted to include for years but haven’t had enough quality images to justify it. Only now with all the trips to the mountains this fall do I feel like I have a body of work worth sharing. Also Alberta Land has expanded to Canadian Land so be sure to check that out too!

Come back next week to read about what awoke us the next morning!