I started my day trip going South West from my home to Longview. I stopped in and bought some beef jerky. My first stop ... I spotted this abandoned caboose. It has certainly seen better days.
I just couldn't get over the beauty of the snow covered mountains with the contrast of the foothills.
The snow certainly brought out the depths of the crevices in the mountains.
The sunlight certainly added an incredible view of the mountains. Each angle the same mountain looked different.
I stopped at the Upper and Lower Kananaskas Lakes. Talk about a lovely reflection.
The cloud formations were very unique and added to the spectacular view.
As the sun was setting the reflection took on a completely different perspective on the scenery.
As the sun set, I waited for an hour and saw how cloudy it was. At 7:15 p.m. I decided that there was a slim chance I would see the Blue Moon tonight from here. I started to drive out and after about a kilometer I saw two dim lights waving in the darkness (they were waving phones). I stopped and asked the people if they were okay. They seemed distressed by the sound of their voice and told them to hop into the truck to get warmed up.
It turned out that they had started to walk around the Lake which seems like it should have been an easy hike. They encountered one spot where an avalanche had recently occurred. They were trying to find their way around and got lost. They ran into a couple ladies that were also lost. The mother and son that I had in my vehicle started to explain about how they decided to retrace their footsteps. They had walked along the lake for over 12 km and knew they must be close to the parking lot but didn't want to chance it.
It was dark when they got on to the road and they were standing at a 3 way intersection. They did not know which road they should take to get back to their car. After a short conversation it was determined which way for me to take them and I drove them to their vehicle.
On the way to the parking lot where their vehicle was left, the mother told me about her encounter with these two other ladies way back in the woods. The mother had explained to me that she was concerned about the two ladies. She indicated that they were not properly dressed for the weather. She said that one of the ladies had indicated that she was very confident they were going in the right direction. As it turned out they were actually going deeper into the wilderness away from the parking lot. The mother and son were fortunate that they retraced their steps and were able to get on to the road. Where I had picked the mother and son up ... it was at the very end of the road and there were no other vehicles around.
After I had dropped the mother and son off at their vehicle, the mother took a photo of the remaining vehicle license plate and was stopping at the fire station to report what had happened.
I started to head back to Calgary. While I was driving it really bothered me to think about these two ladies being alone. After about 20 km I turned around and went back. I drove up to the dead end road to see if the two ladies had come out in the same area as the mother and son. I drove up to where their vehicle was parked to see if maybe they had gotten out and drove away. Unfortunately the car was still there .
What an awful feeling to think that these two ladies that went for just a short little walk... had continued on out of curiosity and more probable to their own demise. Ladies and gentlemen, please, if you walk outside of your vehicle and even if you think you're going just a short distance be prepared and dress appropriately. I know I would like to think that these two ladies are okay. My heart wishes that they have a safe return but my mind is telling me that is highly unlikely. I stayed until 8:30pm ... it was very cold and windy.
Such a sad ending to a lovely day. I am happy that the mother and son are okay.
A very hard time sleeping tonight ... the Blue Moon at 4:39am. Along with a coyote howling just outside my bedroom window.
