Great White North

Certainly starting to feel like the Great White North up here again this time of year. Went out the night before last looking for auroras under the full moon and got distracted. Ness Lake, Northern British Columbia.

Berg Lake Aurora

This shot is looking South towards the North Face of Mt Robson over a very still Berg Lake. It was an amazingly clear night with the Milky Way rising and no sign of the moon so I walked down from our camp to the lake to take some astrophotography. We then had an aurora fire up so I turned around to take some shots North and watched the Aurora come and go for about 30 min. After the main aurora had faded, I went back to take a few more shots looking south over the lake to Robson as the Milky Way had lined up with the low point in the range. We then experienced the aurora related phenomena of ‘Steve’ accompanied by a ‘Picket Fence’ below it. Given we were looking South from a latitude of 53’ North this just makes it all the more incredible. ‘Steve’ was formally scientifically investigated in 2017 and determined to be caused by a 25 km wide ribbon of hot gasses at an altitude of 300 km, temperature of 3000 °C and flowing at a speed of 6 km/s (compared to 10 m/s outside the ribbon). The ‘Picket Fence’ below was slowly cycling to the right of frame. Berg Lake sits at an altitude of 1,646 m (5,400 ft). The North Face of Mt Robson rises 2,308m (7,572ft) out of the lake to a total height of 3,954 m (12,972 ft) and is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.

Helmcken Falls in Winter

If one had painted a winter scene at Helmcken falls early in the 20th century, it would have been dismissed as a work of fantasy. In an example of how recently the colonial exploration of a lot of British Columbia was undertaken, the waterfall was not known to exist outside of the indigenous communities until it was discovered during a land survey by Robert Henry Lee in 1913. Here the Murtle River plunges down a spectacular 141 m (or 463 ft) in a single drop. To put this in some perspective this is nearly three times as high as Niagara Falls with the winter 'ice cone' that grows around the base of the waterfall reaching similar heights to Niagara itself (51m or 165ft). The falls are home to the world’s hardest ice climbs, which ascend up the overhanging spray ice in the cavern behind the waterfall. The Murtle river drops over the western escarpment of the Murtle Pleatu which was formed from lava deposited as part of the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field 200,000 years ago. The falls themselves however did not form until the wide scale erosion and flooding that occurred in Canada after the massive glacial melting period at the end of the last ice age a mere 10,000 years ago. Wells Gray Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.

Blizzard Caribou

Snow starts to cover the back of this large stag as it continues its never ending search for food. The situation has been described as dire for the Central Mountain Caribou population by the Federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Numbers of Central Mountain Caribou across Alberta and B.C declined by 60 per cent between 2004 and 2014 to just over 500 mature individuals in 11 herds.

Assiniboine Sunset from Nub Peak

“The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” John Muir. Taken at sunset after scrambling up the ridge to Nub Peak (2,755 m or 9,039 ft). I like the perspective up here as Mount Assiniboine (3,618m or 11,870ft) rightfully towers over Sunburst Peak in the foreground which you don’t appreciate at the nublet far below. Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada .

Ness Lake Ice Fractures

Ness Lake froze perfectly this year without wind or snow, turning it into one large transparent ice rink for a few amazing days of skating. The ice was clear enough to see submersed logs and schools of fish below your feet as you skated. This shot is looking east towards the island and I used a high intensity led flashlight to light up some of the foreground cracks in the ice. The fractured ice reflects the light down the cracks much in the same way light travels down optic fiber. Any light which escapes the primary fracture travels away sideways though the ice without being visible to the observer above unless picked up by another crack and reflected upwards.

Maligne Lake

Sometimes you just have to stop, catch your breath, and mumble wow. Standing on a set of snowshoes in the middle of a very frozen Maligne Lake is one of those moments. Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Mt Robson Sunset

Seven out of ten times that we drive past Robson, it is covered in cloud. But when it’s out, it has to be one of the most scenic stretches of road in the world. The highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, Robson towers above everything around it a 3,954 m (12,972 ft). Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.

Bow Lake Playground

Some playgrounds remain etched in your mind. Bow Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Ursus arctos horribilis

North American Brown Bear or Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) who had just woken up from winter hibernation Massive in stature, the largest have been to weigh up to 680 kg (1,500 lb), standing up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall on their hind legs , or 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) at the shoulder when on all four legs. British Columbia, Canada

Vernon Lake

As winter approaches, and the temperatures begin to drop, people begin to disappear out of the landscape. We camped at Vernon lake and had the whole camp ground to ourselves. Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Upper Fraser Frozen Lake

Early winter deep freeze conditions of between -20 and -30 C (-4 and -22 F) have created thousands of beautiful outdoor ice rinks throughout Northern BC. Chances are you might have a lake to yourself as approximately 9% of its surface area of Canada is covered in fresh water. Fraser-Fort George Region, British Columbia, Canada.

Dennis Lake and Hudson Bay Mountain

A cold crisp morning at Dennis Lake with the sun just about to break over Hudson Bay Mountain 2859m (8495ft). Dennis Lake is located near Smithers in Northern British Columbia, Canada.

Maligne Canyon Ice Climbing

Ice climbers on a frozen waterfall at Maligne Canyon. It is one of the deepest river canyons found in the Canadian Rockies at 55m (180 ft). The canyon is part of a predominantly underground river system that runs between Medicine Lake and the Athabasca River. Jasper, Alberta, Canada.

Brothers

Sometimes you don't need words. Brothers having some time together at their new home. Northern British Columbia, Canada

Mt Assiniboine and Sunburst Peak Sunset

“Hang on to your youthful enthusiasms, you’ll be able to use them better when you’re older.” Seneca One of the most iconic scenes in the Canadian rockies. Mt Assiniboine (the pyramid shaped mountain in the back left) and Sunburst Peak tower over Sunburst Lake and Cerulean Lake. It is hard to convey how big this vista actually is with a simple photograph. At 3,618 m (11,870 ft), Mt Assiniboine is the highest peak in the Southern Continental Ranges of the Canadian Rockies and rises over 1,500 m (5,000 ft) above the lakes at its base. Clear skies in this region have been a rarity these last two seasons with the smoke from the wildfires which have raged BC. I was fortunate to be able to get an opportunity to explore the remote areas around Assiniboine this summer during a small window after the smoke had cleared but before the snow came. Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.

Bowron Cabin

Late autumn conditions begin to give way to winter over a remote cabin on the waters edge at Bowron Lake. Isolated from the troubles of the world, it's places like this which provide much needed tranquility to hardy souls looking for some inner peace. Cariboo Mountains. British Columbia, Canada.

Peyto Lake in the Snow

After a couple of days of mixed snow and rain with stormy and overcast skies we were finally greeted by this frosty pink fox! It was a little chilly for sunrise at -14 C (6.8F); it seems winter has arrived in the Canadian Rockies. There is such a short time window to catch Peyto with snow on the ground before the lake freezes over so we were super fortunate to have the chance to experience it like this. The lake was named after Bill Peyto, who was an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area. It sits at an elevation of 1,860 m (6,100 ft) in the Waputik Range of the Canadian Rockies, Banff National Park. The shot was taken near Bow Summit at 2132m (or 6994ft).

Ness Lake Frozen Aurora

“We're all islands shouting lies to each other across seas of misunderstanding.” Rudyard Kipling’s faint voice from 1891 has seemed more relevant than ever to me over the past few months. Winter is here; so in the crisp -25 deg C (-13 F) air I headed out for a stroll onto Ness lake at around 2am last night under the light of the setting moon as if to check that I was still alive. In the distance the mesmerizing glow of the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis some thousands of km away in the Yukon, and the eerie sounds from the ice stress fracturing, quickly cleared my mind of other thoughts. The frozen lake, free of snow, has developed frost flowers over the past few days which create an amazing texture. The flowers grow from the moisture in the supersaturated vapor found directly above the ice that is caused by the sublimation of ice into the extremely dry, cold air. Ness Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Igloo

One of the perks of living in the frozen North is you can make an Igloo in your backyard! It was a fun project and made quite a nice whisky bar! Ness Lake, Northern British Columbia.

Blood Aurora

A rare 'blood' Aurora fills the sky across the Northern Rockies. Red or ‘blood' aurora’s are created by oxygen atoms at an altitude of between 200–500 km (120-300miles) colliding in a high energy state and emitting red light at 630 nm. In contrast the more common green aurora are oxygen atoms at a lower altitude of 70-200km (40-120 miles) and lower energy state emitting light at 557.7 nm. In most cases to see a red aurora you need an extremely dark sky and to be looking from a lower latitude across the top layers of a distant high latitude aurora. When the aurora is closer or overhead, the subtle high altitude red fringe is drowned out by the intensity of the lower altitude green aurora. In this shot the green aurora is also visible spilling over the mountains however it has taken a more yellow hue as it’s mixed with the light of the red aurora from behind it. If you look at the high resolution version of this shot you can see 7 shooting stars in the time it took for this 20 second exposure, although 6 of them are quite faint. The shot was taken at a latitude of 55 North looking across the rugged Hart Ranges of the Northern Rocky Mountains which form part of the Pine Le Moray Provincial Park. British Columbia, Canada

Solar Storm Vivian Lake

Wide angle shot in the forest looking straight up into the sky during a G3 solar storm at 54 Degrees North. Vivian Lake, Prince George, Northern British Columbia, Canada.

American Red Squirrel

Our cute little house squirrel, the kids call him peanut. Not sure if this little guy stole all the apples from our tree (about 40 of them) or if it was the resident black bear. American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Ness Lake, Northern British Columbia, Canada

Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks

A crisp sunrise at Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Moraine Lake sits at an elevation of 1,885 m (6,183 ft) in Banff National Park. The iconic colour of the lake is due to light scattering from fine particles of glacial rock flour.