Snow Covered Mountains and Ice Covered Trees

[Manche757]

Awesome pics gogmorgo.

 

[Manche757]

On 6/10/2021 at 4:18 PM, gogmorgo said:

This is an art quality photo.  Do you recall the name of the lake?

[gogmorgo]

5 hours ago, Manche757 said:

This is an art quality photo.  Do you recall the name of the lake?

Maligne Lake, Jasper national park. It’s a pretty popular tourist destination although 99% of visitors don’t make it very far down the lake from the northern end. This was taken from pretty well the southernmost point of the lake. 

[Manche757]

Thanks gogmorgo for identifying the lake.  I was curious what the name might mean.  It is the largest lake in Jasper National Park and where Gogmorgo has the pleasure of living.  A woman from Philadelphia named Mary Schaffer named the lake in 1907 after the Maligne River. Maligne is a French word for malignant or wicked.  The river had been named by Pierre-Jean De Smet, a missionary, (or French trappers) because of the rapids and currents in the river.  The Stoney Nakoda First Nation people called it Chaba Imne which means Beaver Lake.  Neither name does the lake justice.

[NHMJXJ]

On 2/27/2024 at 4:11 PM, Manche757 said:

 

The last line ... "Never feed or toss food to animals" loosely translates to "Don't become food".  

 

[gogmorgo]

6 hours ago, NHMJXJ said:

 

The last line ... "Never feed or toss food to animals" loosely translates to "Don't become food".  

 

I’ve always translated it as “don’t teach animals that humans are a food source”

[gogmorgo]

On 2/29/2024 at 4:02 PM, Manche757 said:

Thanks gogmorgo for identifying the lake.  I was curious what the name might mean.  It is the largest lake in Jasper National Park and where Gogmorgo has the pleasure of living.  A woman from Philadelphia named Mary Schaffer named the lake in 1907 after the Maligne River. Maligne is a French word for malignant or wicked.  The river had been named by Pierre-Jean De Smet, a missionary, (or French trappers) because of the rapids and currents in the river.  The Stoney Nakoda First Nation people called it Chaba Imne which means Beaver Lake.  Neither name does the lake justice.

In case you missed it, it's pronounce Ma-LEEN. The french would be Ma-LEEÑ.

 

That trip was one of the sketchier things I've done in a canoe. It was the first week of June so the ice had only been off the lake for about a week, and the water was still pretty frigid. The lake is also a couple hundred feet deep with the bottom dropping off pretty quickly from shoreline in a lot of spots. Steep slopes above the lake usually continue below the surface as well. But you still need to keep an eye out because there are some 99-foot tall boulders sitting in 100-foot deep water. I can't imagine they come down often, but I wouldn't want to be on the water if it ever happened. 

I was on the water when the storm hit, with a strong north wind pushing me down the lake through the snow, getting close to three foot swells, which is uncomfortable sailing in a canoe. Then a vertical cliff face emerged from the storm directly in my line of travel, approaching at a speed I can only describe as way faster than a canoe should ever be moving. Fortunately there was a bit of a canyon cutting through the cliff with a sandy spit coming out of the bottom, so when I hammered into the shore it was onto a gentle beach and not rocks and crashing waves. I waited there for an hour or so for the wind to die down and then once it was calmer I was able to continue on to my camp site. I had just enough time to set up my tent before it started snowing again. There were a couple other guys there who already had a fire going so that was good.

This is how the campground looked when I got there. It's pretty nice.

 

 

The next morning I was woken up by the sound of a massive avalanche, big rocks smashing together, echoing up and down the lake. I was pretty nervous because I had no idea what the mountains around me looked like due to the snow, and just sat in camp with the wet heavy snow coming down listening to small avalanches all around. Then in the evening a bunch of kayakers showed up with the most miserable looking housecat I've ever seen. Apparently it fell into the lake a few hours earlier. It was so soggy I didn't even recognize it as a cat at first when it came crawling up the path behind everyone. Pro tip: don't take your cat kayaking in a snow storm. Poor thing.

 

The snow quit overnight, and the next day it was bright and sunny with a glassy smooth lake. I think it got up to around 25°C... mountain weather is crazy. I got one of the worst sunburns of my life that day but it was super easy paddling.

 

I stopped for lunch at the beach I crashed into on the way down. I think that's rye bread I baked myself. Probably salami with the cheese on the sandwich. 

And I'm pretty sure this is the cliff next to the beach I thought for sure I was going to crash into. It's pretty crazy how quick the snow melted off in the sun.

 

And a loon from much later in the day when the snow had melted. It actually swam under the canoe, which was cool.

 

All in all it was an excellent trip and I highly recommend. Just maybe don't go as early in the season as I did, although I can't guarantee it won't snow on you any other month either. Mountain weather is a little nuts, and the surface of the lake is around 5500' elevation so it's up there. 

 

[Manche757]

Those are amazing pictures that you, our Canadian brother, continue to provide.  While parts of Montana have had plenty of snow, there is a significant lack of it in many areas.  Ski resorts in areas surrounding the south end of Flathead Lake closed a few weeks ago.  The lake is 28 miles long and is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi and is one of the clearest lakes in the world.  It is larger than Lake Tahoe by area but Lake Tahoe is deeper in parts and holds more water.

 

Glacier National Park always gets snow.  In 2022, Going to the Sun Road was not cleared of snow and opened until July 13.  In 2023, they beat that and opened on June 13.  Here are a few pictures that  I did not take.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[89 MJ]

Taken from my college campus. This is looking east in Tucson, AZ. Still a tiny bit of snow up there, even though today was 78. 

[Manche757]

Wow,  I didn't know Wisconsin had palm trees. . How is the college man liking college life? What did you decide to major in?

[89 MJ]

36 minutes ago, Manche757 said:

Wow,  I didn't know Wisconsin had palm trees. . How is the college man liking college life? What did you decide to major in?

Wisconsin doesn’t, but Arizona does! I’m liking it a lot, this is my second year here. I’m majoring in mechanical engineering. 

[Manche757]

On 3/12/2024 at 10:11 PM, 89 MJ said:

! I’m liking it a lot, 

Some snow near you.

 

 

(Pete, can you enlarge these?)

[derf]

A little snow in Colorado this morning. 

 

[neohic]

1 hour ago, derf said:

A little snow in Colorado this morning. 

 

Agreed. 20” fresh inches and still falling heavy.

 

[derf]

I got my steps in today for sure.

 

 

 

[neohic]

12 hours ago, derf said:

I got my steps in today for sure.

 

Same. 
 

[Manche757]

[Manche757]

Any more pics of winter from those that still have winter?  Curiously, there has been a lack of snow in much of Montana. Snow lingers only at higher elevations here.

[gogmorgo]

not exactly recent snow but it’s still well below freezing here, and the snow hasn’t gone anywhere. 

and 18” of old crusty snow is apparently a little too much for my MJ. And the GMC that wasn’t even that deep. 
But I did eventually get backed up to my front door for moving purposes. 

[fiatslug87]

I like visiting the snow 2 hours away, I would not survive in conditions like @neohic or @gogmorgo are posting.  I’m a California hot house flower.

[neohic]

33 minutes ago, fiatslug87 said:

I like visiting the snow 2 hours away, I would not survive in conditions like @neohic or @gogmorgo are posting.  I’m a California hot house flower.

We’re due for some more snow starting tomorrow but it won’t be near what we already had… probably. 

[89 MJ]

2 hours ago, gogmorgo said:

and 18” of old crusty snow is apparently a little too much for my MJ. And the GMC that wasn’t even that deep. 
But I did eventually get backed up to my front door for moving purposes

Two of my favorite vehicles of all time in this picture here. MJs and 99-07 GM trucks. 

[gogmorgo]

3 hours ago, fiatslug87 said:

I like visiting the snow 2 hours away, I would not survive in conditions like @neohic or @gogmorgo are posting.  I’m a California hot house flower.

It’s been below 0°F every morning this week, staying well below freezing during the day.

 

1 hour ago, 89 MJ said:

Two of my favorite vehicles of all time in this picture here. MJs and 99-07 GM trucks. 

To keep things on theme I guess, this is from last winter. Its a 2500 HD with a 6.0/NV4500 4x4. I bought it dirt cheap, slapped new tires and brakes on it, and made a bunch of trips across western Canada with it. I was thinking I was going to sell it once I was done moving, but I like the truck enough I hung onto it. It’s definitely a little rough around the edges but it did about 5000km in a week December before last on highways that looked like this:

Maybe some day I’ll manage to move in the summer.

[89 MJ]

6 minutes ago, gogmorgo said:

It’s been below 0°F every morning this week, staying well below freezing during the day.

 

To keep things on theme I guess, this is from last winter. Its a 2500 HD with a 6.0/NV4500 4x4. I bought it dirt cheap, slapped new tires and brakes on it, and made a bunch of trips across western Canada with it. I was thinking I was going to sell it once I was done moving, but I like the truck enough I hung onto it. It’s definitely a little rough around the edges but it did about 5000km in a week December before last on highways that looked like this:

Maybe some day I’ll manage to move in the summer.

Wow! A 5 speed truck, that’s what dreams are made of

[PCO6]

We've had surprisingly little snow this winter.   The day before I took this pic my backyard was green.   I had the windshield removed from my XJ so I could clean up the frame and reseal it.   And then this happened ...