On Sunday afternoon, I made a trip down to Waterton Canyon with the intention of make images of ice in the Platte River. On arriving, I discovered that the parking lot was like a mud pit! The recent warm weather caused ice and snow in the parking lot to melt. I knew that it would be a muddy hike along the canyon. After hiking about a mile into the canyon, I reached a bend in the river where the walls of the canyon were reflected in the water. Here the water was dammed up by large rocks in the river. There was still some ice around.
Rocks, Ice And Reflections, Platte River
When I shot ice in previous years, the afternoon lights up ice formations with colors of the setting sun. It was just too warm this time. December would have been a better time to make images here. Farther upstream, on the bend, there was some blue sky reflecting in the water that was captured in this image.
Reflections In Platte River, Waterton Canyon
Nearby, on the far bank of the river, was a stand of scrub oak trees emerging from the snow covered floor. Some of the trees still had remnants of fall colors in their leaves!
Trees Among The Snow, Waterton Canyon
About this point I turned back. In the canyon, there are several examples of metamorphic rocks that have some interesting color banding. In this example, I found a spot where pink, white and gray banding was present. The pink coloring is from feldspar minerals in the rock.
Pink And Gray Rock Patterns, Waterton Canyon
I spotted the rock below on the way into the canyon. On the way out, I decided to make an image that shows the ice skirt attached to the rock above the fast flowing water. At this time of day, the low light level required a longer shutter speed to allow the water to blur as it flowed past the rock.
Rocks Wearing An Ice Skirt, Platte River
During the return hike, there was less mud as the water started to re-freeze.