“Mt. Slesse Winterscape”

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The following photo is from the Chilliwack River Valley, Chilliwack, B.C., Canada.

When I photograph mountains coated with snow I have a time period that I prefer. I like the early snowfalls of the year exposing rock cliff formations revealing texture and definition to the slopes before the mountain is completely encased in snow. The first snowfall is usually the only time that I can hike the mountains otherwise the snow depth is too great and inaccessible.

 I began my hike at the trailhead at 4:15am thinking it would take me a few hours to arrive at my destination and then I would set up my camera gear and wait for sunrise. My hike proceeded as expected with snow on the trail and at a depth that was easy to walk......for the most part.  I reached a location on the trail where I began my last short ascent to my viewpoint. The snow depth went from 12 inches to waist deep within a slight increase of altitude. I knew that I wasn’t going to reach my goal as initially planned so I settled for Plan B, which was to hike past the large mature trees so I could have an unobstructed view of Mt. Slesse and the surrounding area. So with some difficulty I plowed my body through the snow and I reached a point that revealed a clear view of Mt. Slesse on a clear day with clear untouched snow. The following photos of Mt. Slesse are exactly what I look for in my winter mountain photos, bare exposed rock, untouched snow surface and in this case, morning sun at a low angle in the sky.

It is during this small window of time that I love photographing mountains with snow. I’m hoping for another chance to capture a partially snow covered mountain but I guess I’ll just have to see what the weather brings, whether I like it or not.   

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I hope you like the photo.