Well everyone, i finally did it. i got my first mountain bike! I saved up all my points on my walmart credit card and picked her up FOR FREE the other day.
So off I went, plenaire pack simplified ... once again.... and went to find a trail. Well after a 'few' hours I finally got on the correct road and found a trail up on Harper Mountain.
Its kinda weird being a tourist in my own town! But hey, I've only lived here for 25 years, lets start to adventure now .... UGH
So after only 5 minutes of biking I saw the perfect spot to paint. Unfortunately it was down a steep,.... like really really steep hill of course but away I went and spent the next hour painting, being fully aware of sounds behind me as there are bears and wild horses up there and Kayah was not with me..
A painting done! Splashes of beautiful crisp fall colors, aromas of fresh sage and fir. Packed everything up and off I went, UP the big steep hill...
then to try to find Allie and Jim (my truck and camper yes I name them)... yup, lost only 5 minutes away.
Welcome to my life, lol
But a nice study I am happy with and a new place to come before late afternoon, try to get in at least more than 5 minutes!!
On the Easel....
I've been working on this incredible image for a few days now, reflecting upon the memories of our trip.
"Lake of the Hanging Glacier" they call it.
50km back in behind Invermere British Columbia, deep within the Purcell Mountain range.
Before we headed out we had a chance to meet a neighbor who was part of the group who founded the trail, his grandfather was a big part of establishing and maintaining and protecting this incredible area. His stories were just as incredible as our trip
So, 8 km in and a 947m climb in elevation gain, we headed out for the unknown, each carrying 45-55 lbs of supplies, prepared and expecting yet another adventure into the wilderness, Kayah also packed up and eager to find adventure, or just to get out of the truck...
So looking at this unfinished mountain sitting upon my easel, I recall all that we experienced that week, and try to find the way to express the vastness of this incredible mountain range. The wildness and aloneness as we ventured deep into pockets of natural rain forest so dense and dark that you couldn't even see glimpses of the sky
On our second morning there with camp set up, I sat bundled up from the early morning cold at the edge of this beautiful emerald glacier lake, warm coffee mug in one hand and camera in another waiting patiently and quietly to catch the morning sun come over the frozen mountain and warm and thaw out the crystals of ice formed upon the rocks in front of me.
I hear nothing but the quiet, the wild.
The stillness is calming, until unexpectedly the mountain cracks like thunder, a piece of the glacier breaks and calves, plunging into the lake below. There are no words to describe the sound ......utterly life changing.
I so pick up my brushes, remembering, and begin to continue to capture one moment of that quiet as the sun gently peaks up to say
"good morning children".
Oct 12. I just finished working on the middle mountain developing the shadows and keeping the area of light open that the sunlight will be coming through. I played with the beautiful emerald water and the rocks in the foreground, making sure that the diffused light coming in from the right hand side is soft and moves your eye to the focal point. Keeping everything soft and distant.
To sit and watch the sun slowly drift in and bring life to this remote place was almost poetic and beyond beautiful
