Blogs from Field, British Columbia, Canada, North America

The thing about crossing a time zone yesterday was when we got up it was one hour colder! There was plenty of light but no warmth at all. Just very cold mountain air. We had breakfast and set off down the steep dirt road to the highway. I had 3 layers on and was shivering. Graeme had rugged up too, but Tom and Jeff didn't (no sense no feeling I guess). We rode 21km into Golden just trying to warm up, the cold cut right through. At Golden we got some supplies and headed for the nearest coffee shop. The climbing started as soon as we left the town. The locals called it "10 Mile Hill" and it was every bit of 16kms up hill. To balance out the hard work was the continued extraordinary scenery ... read more

In the freezing cold, we clambered into the bus and settled our many layers into the overhead bins and under the seats. As the landscape flattened out into the farmland west of Calgary, the magic of pale orange light dawned on the far-away high mountain glaciers. Steadily the dawn lit the spare clouds and sculpted the minimalist contours of the hibernating grain fields. When we were into the mountains, overcast skies subdued the dramatic mountains into a palette of greys. Snow drizzled onto the roads. Wind was made evident in its absence because evergreens were heavily draped in snow blankets. The snow blobs ranged on fence posts cheered us with their inexplicably comic character. Emerald Lake and the Lodge appeared in its stunning winter wonderland guise. Roof tops were piled feet deep with snow perched in ... read more

In the breathless environment of Emerald Lake, the falling snow piles high on every structure. Trees give the snow a shake. Paths are groomed for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and strolling. With no breezes to penetrate through fabric, warm clothes keep us cosy. As does a decadent lunch at Emerald Lake Lodge!... read more