We arrived at a completely empty parking lot which was a very pleasant surprise.  This meant that Aidan could roam off leash without me worrying that he’ll get run over by cross-country or tele-skiers that frequent this trail.  During the summer the trail is a 4WD road so it’s relatively wide and due to it’s frequent use in winter the snow is well packed and snowshoes aren’t necessary.  I knew I wanted to find more interesting compositions off trail so I brought the snowshoes anyway.

The trail ends at an open valley scattered with old mining buildings.  I had a composition in mind involving the old cabins but when I arrived at my location the peaks were hidden behind clouds so my hopes weren’t very high.  A few minutes before sunset I noticed a break in the clouds to the west and was hoping it would move east and clear the peaks for some alpenglow at sunset.  But it never happened and I was forced to abandon my plans and work with what was given to me.

All in all, not a bad trip; Aidan had a great time roaming on his own and I got a good workout snowshoeing.  And even with minimal light I was able to capture something interesting and refresh my creative thought process and skills.