Canadian Rockies: Frozen New Year day 3...Pyramid Bench, frozen waterfalls and Endless sunset

Hey Steemians!

After another long day we had the day before, we were up by sunrise to get the most out of our last day in our mountainous heaven. Breakfast in our bellies, it was time to hit the road again. We didn't have any set plans today, I suppose it didn't matter since our plans seemed to fall apart this weekend because of the polar vortex. We knew we wanted to go to Athabasa Falls but we wanted to be there for the mid afternoon sun to get the best light and it was really only 9 am. We had time to kill, we decided to take one last random mountain road and see where we would end up. Random roads in the Rockies generally leads to some majestic sight or lake.

Shot 1/320 sec. f/9 46mm, ISO 100

Today was looking like it was going to be a great day, the sky was a bit grey and dull to start the day but was suppose to clear up by lunch time. The temperature had finally warmed up to a comfortable Alberta cold we are generally used to, -20 Celsius. I suppose to most of you it may seem cold but we don't mind it so much, after the brutal cold we experienced in the days prior, it felt like summer weather!

Shot 1/250 sec. f/8 40mm, ISO 100

Of course as we were driving about and looking at these amazing snow covered giants, we couldn't help but try to guess how deep the snow might be on top of the mountains, they looked so different this time of year, we only ever seen them in summer or early fall before the snow arrives. Some of them appeared to have huge snow banks on their flat edges, we guesstimated that some may have been as much as 20+ feet of snow...according to locals, it is the least snow they had experienced in years!! wow really? Here in Edmonton we finish the winter with a foot or two, for us it was a lot of snow.

Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 65mm, ISO 250

The road we chose led to the base of Pyramid Mountain, we only ever seen it from the top of Wistler's mountain but never actually been there yet. Much like the first day, we were the early birds on the road and almost had the place to ourselves except for one slow moving vehicle pulling a trailer, we didn't mind we were in no rush, the driver must have been pulling precious cargo. We followed it all the way to Pyramid Bench, where the frozen Pyramid Lake can be found. We would finally get to see what was so precious... The driver opened the trailer and pulled out 4 breathtaking Belgian horses, that explained why he was so cautious!!! We had to investigate further, since it was our desired destination anyway.

Shot 1/200 sec. f/10 65mm, ISO 400

Turns out Pyramid Bench is the hot spot of Jasper's winter fun!! The horses were being set up for for sleigh rides...Whoa! new year sleigh ride, how Canadian! It was a perfect activity for the last day of our "all things Canadian New Year adventure". Of course we had to find a way to get on board. Turns out the first trip of the day had no bookings aboard Jasper Stables because of the cold and we were able to get ourselves on the first ride of the day. I suppose that is why we don't fully book our weekend and save time for things we come across by chance or luck. Jasper Ridding Stables offers a 40 minute ride along the frozen lake towards Pyramid Mountain for a better view. The ride is supplied with warm fuzzy blankets for comfort and warmth, no worries about getting cold!

Shot 1/250 sec. f/10 65mm, ISO 320

Our driver works for the park in the summer, we got a good education on the surrounding mountains and other activities available in the park for future travels. We really enjoyed the ride and plan on going back in the summer, when they saddle up the beautiful Belgians and hit the trail. If you find yourselves in the area, definitely check out Jasper Ridding Stables at Pyramid bench! There is other activities offered at the lodge, skating(skate rentals also available) , hockey, fat-biking, cross country skiing and once you get cold, they serve hot chocolate at the lodge to warm up. Overall this was an awesome place to visit and spend the morning. As we returned from the ride, the crowds were starting to arrive to the frozen lake but it was time for us to go so we could have enough time for our other destinations.

Shot 1/200 sec. f/10 40mm, ISO 400

It was now lunch time and the sky was clearing up, perfect time to start heading towards Athabasca falls on the Ice Field Parkway to checkout the waterfall, after the frigid cold, no doubt it would be frozen into a big block of ice. We have been there several times, we try to stop every time we are in the area. It's a short hike around the park that can be done in under an hour if one wishes for a quick stop. Athabasca Falls isn't the largest fall in the Rockies but certainly one of the most powerful. In the summer, the melting glaciers supplies the river and is about triple in size than in winter. The sound of the fall alone is enough to realize it's power. In the winter, the flow reduces substantially and most of it freezes up in the fall, although it still flows over the ice block.

Shot 1/250 sec. f/10 22mm, ISO 200

Shot 1/250 sec. f/10 18mm, ISO 200

We were here in the fall season a few years back, the flow was substantially reduced and we could climb down to the base of the waterfall where the water would normally flow in summer, this time it was full of snow and ice and impossible to see what we would be stepping on, it isn't safe on a good day therefore we chose not to risk it this time. We were lucky enough to find a different access, down the canyon on the frozen river, It's a fast flowing river and must be cautious. The ice was over 1 foot in thickness and in good condition, safe enough for us to decide to walk on it, I'm not entirely sure if you are suppose to or not since part of the river was exposed at the bottom of the fall but the rest of it seemed fine with large slabs of ice left behind before it completely froze over.

Clearly , you can see with all the footprints, I was far
from the first one standing on top of the fierce river that
generally flows there.

Shot 1/125 sec. f/9 18mm, ISO 400

Shot 1/60 sec. f/8 18mm, ISO 400
Disclaimer: Do not stand close to the edge of open ice, it's not safe. As mentioned above 1 foot + in thickness is required.

The sun was starting to get lower and hide behind the trees, making photography a bit dark, we had other spots we wanted to get to after our hike. @silvergingerman and I always drool over the near by Endless Chain but we never really get to stop a while because of other things on the agenda( maybe another half hour's drive on the Icefield Parkway towards Columbia Ice Fields).

Shot 1/250 sec. f/10 65mm, ISO 360

The Icefield Parkway links the town of Jasper to Columbia Ice Fields, still part of Jasper National Park, it's a spectacular drive filled with rest stops offering the best views to be seen in the area. Even with no set destination, it's a great road to take just for the experience. If you are travelling on a budget or back-packing, there are hostels and campground all along the way to retire for the night by your favorite lake or river. May not be the best area to go watch for wildlife as most of the wild activity is closer to the town of Jasper.

Shot 1/250 sec. f/10 40mm , ISO 280

The Endless Chain is a large strait piece of the earth's crust that just grew upwards during the tectonic plates colliding and forcing it out of the ground, which is how the Rockies were formed. It's a sight to behold! We were about an hour from sunset and we had done all our targets. What better time to finally rest and watch the sun set over the mountain. We stumbled upon one a few years back and got amazing pictures from it but last year, my hard drive fried and lost those pictures, it was my mission to recreate the beautiful image I had lost.

Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 116mm, ISO 220

Didn't take long for me to forget about my lost image, I knew I would replace it with much better ones over the next hour! As we got there, we were in the early stages of the sunset, the sun was slowly disappearing
behind the mountains leaving a nice glow on the peaks of the Endless Chain. We sat there and just watched over the next while until it was to dark for our cameras to work. The next set of picture is shot over the course of an hour. I hope you enjoy it almost as much as we did.

Shot 1/800 sec. f/6 155mm, ISO 800

Shot 1/500 sec. f/6 155mm, ISO 1000

Shot 1/250 sec. f/5.6 95mm, ISO 800

Shot 1/30 sec. f/5.6 135mm, ISO 1600

Now that the sunset was over, it was now time to return to Jasper and from there back to our flat home city of Edmonton. We had a great day full of adventure to keep in our memories until we get to return in the spring or summer and make new ones. Posting my journeys on steemit almost makes sure I will never forget the last trips as we make new memories on new journeys I'm not sure I could ever forget but just in case...

I have a request, I have been participating in @czechglobalhosts 7 world's continents photo challenges, I would like to enter one of the Endless chain sunset photos but I am undecided which one, maybe you can help me decide in the comments. In posted order #1 thru #5 let me know you're favorite.

All images taken with Nikon D7000 and Sigma 18-200mm lens.

Cheers!! xox