Hiking toward Grandeur Peak…on a snowy Sunday in March….
I have been up here six or seven times over the last couple of years, but never under conditions such as these. The mountains had received somewhere between one and two and a half feet of new snow over the last four days…and while, yes, I am ready for true spring like the rest of us, I couldn’t believe the beauty of the snowy mountains and trees while I was out there. So here you are, more snowy pictures from Salt Lake City, Utah, USA…I hope you enjoy them as much as I do…..
Scott's Place...Images and Words 
Amazing. Hope you don’t get caught in any snow storms on your hikes, but I daresay you are experienced enough not to venture out if one was due. Seems the UK are getting more snow too.
March 27, 2013 at 7:18 am
The forecast said there was about a 20% chance of precipitation, Victoria…so the valley was sunny with high clouds while it was actually snowing on me for close to half of the hike up there…just light flurries, but you can see it coming down in the images with the rich clouds over the mountains….the haziness in those images is actually the snow falling, not fog or thinner clouds….. And yes, I’ve read from some of our other blog friends here that the UK is getting a bit of snow, too…so most of us are yearning for the green of spring….. 😉
March 27, 2013 at 9:40 pm
Wonderful images Scott. How amazing to be on the mountain like that. I envy you. 🙂
March 27, 2013 at 10:37 am
Thank you very much, Adrian….and that is truly an amazing experience to be there…I’d gladly swap mountain for Cornish beach for a week or two, as we’ve discussed, but I think this will have to be how it is…sharing our beloved landscapes with each other right here…but I’ll carry your thoughts with me when I’m out there, my friend…. 🙂
March 27, 2013 at 9:43 pm
You know, there’s a softness in these somehow – especially in the sky – that seems to tell me it’s spring, not winter. Drop dead gorgeousness! The 4th is transcendent – & I like how that path wraps under the scooped out tree in the 3rd. Are they Douglas firs? Just beautiful scenery, and perfectly framed pictures!
March 27, 2013 at 10:57 am
I had a few different ways that I was going to share a narrative with the pictures, Lynn…but I found that my meager words were just junk compared to the images themselves…so here they are…and yes, to me, too…such gorgeousness…I couldn’t believe the images when I got them home on the computer…it was just so incredibly beautiful out there, standing near up to my knees in some of it, how could I wish for Spring when this is what Winter is like for me? Goodness…what a tug-of-war…I do want the green and the bare trails to hike and run on again, but I’d have to give up this…. Anyway, I’m very happy I went out…happy that this is what the snow brought with it…yes, I will welcome Spring and relish in what it brings, but I’m ok with this, too….. About the trees? Hmm…not sure if they’re Douglas firs or not…we’ve got several kinds of conifers out here…I would need to bring a cone home with me or remember to take my laminated field guide of trees/flowers out with me to make a positive ID…if I could. Thank you for your nice words about the photos, Lynn…I do appreciate them. 🙂
March 27, 2013 at 9:52 pm
Whenever you share your emotional responses in words, I don’t know, I love it! You write very well, I think. Seems best to ID the trees after the snow is gone. One nice thing about being near mountains is leeway with the seasons – you know that the season is never as advanced up there. You can time travel!
March 28, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Thank you again, Lynn…and you are very kind. I think you’re probably correct, too, about trying to identify the trees…might be easier without the snow…we’ll see how it goes.
March 28, 2013 at 8:16 pm
Utterly, jaw-dropping gorgeous. I won’t even mention the cold. 😉
March 27, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Yes, Gunta…that kind of gorgeous…blows my mind, really…all of that, and just down the road a bit. And the cold? Nope…not really. I was “glistening” quite a bit with the effort of hiking up there for close to three hours…and then got a nice bit of sunburn/tan on the face while I was up there, too…I was plenty un-cold. 🙂
March 27, 2013 at 9:55 pm
Immagini molto belle, si sente anche il soffice silenzio che le accompagna 🙂
March 27, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Ciao Paolo – grazie per le parole molto belle sulle immagini … e sì, lei ha ragione, siamo in grado di ascoltare il silenzio lassù … un silenzio così morbida …..
March 27, 2013 at 10:00 pm
That looks like a great hike. I guess someone had cut the trail for you. Snowshoes or just hiking boots?
March 27, 2013 at 2:26 pm
It is a really nice hike, Andy…and yes, I believe only two people had been up before me…I spoke with one who was returning from the top. Snowshoes would have been helpful closer to the top, but I just had micro-spikes strapped onto my boots…they make all the difference on icy trails…..
March 27, 2013 at 7:03 pm
How beautiful! You don’t have to worry about avalanches there, do you?
March 27, 2013 at 6:50 pm
Hi, Gary…we do have to worry about them in these mountains, yes…but probably not much in this area, although, one of the reasons I didn’t go to the summit this time is because another hiker warned me of the very scary route that had been laid by an earlier person. Said it scared the hell out of him at a couple of spots. I might be going back this weekend with my son, so we’ll see how it looks then…lots of warm temps and sunshine this week, so the trails might even be moderately clear, as this side of the mountain faces south and is in the sun for most of the day….
March 27, 2013 at 6:59 pm
I have always thought that it is so difficult to capture the breathtaking grandeur of the outdoors in a photo. You do an amazing job, thank you.
March 27, 2013 at 8:25 pm
Thank you very much, Charlie…and it is a pleasure to share my mountains with you here…you are most welcome. 🙂
March 27, 2013 at 10:02 pm
How beautiful it is up there with that snow! I would love to take that hike!
March 27, 2013 at 9:04 pm
It’s just over three miles each way, Terry…I’m sure you’ll have your boots in the truck next time you’re headed through here…give me a ring and I’ll take you up there. 🙂
March 27, 2013 at 9:35 pm
I like the last photo very much. The trees are such interesting shapes. They are different from the ones I usually see (conifers) in snowy areas. At least, I think so. Perhaps it’s because of your superb composition: the “Japanese drawing” with the bare trees on one side. This is a really fine image, Scott.
March 27, 2013 at 9:11 pm
I don’t know what all of those trees are, George, but the ones on the left are definitely some evergreen sort that keep their waxy leaves through the winter…and the bare ones on the right are some variety of mountain maple, if I’m not mistaken, and turn a very pretty orange and pink in the fall. You can also see how the snow is blown from the right, too, so it’s fitting that the trees are so bare…. What’s curious, though, is why or how the specific types of vegetation are so different on each side of that bit of ridge…. I’m glad you enjoy the image, George…I like your words very much…thank you. 🙂
March 27, 2013 at 10:13 pm
It’s beautiful and well worth the effort. And what a lot of effort went into getting up there, I’ll bet!
March 28, 2013 at 5:54 am
Glad you liked it, Allen…and yes, there was a bit of effort needed to get up there…especially with the snow…but yes, well worth it. 🙂
March 28, 2013 at 8:13 pm
Quelle tentation!!!! une poudreuse de rêve 🙂
April 3, 2013 at 1:53 am
C’était toute une expérience là-bas, Val … merci.
April 3, 2013 at 8:36 pm