Whenever I wake up and see hoarfrost, I leap into action. This phenomenon is uncommon, occurring only a few times each year. It transforms the ordinary into something breathtakingly beautiful.
We're looking at the border hills, in the remote southern part of Grasslands Park - as far south as the roads go. From here, the traveller is on foot, and it isn't far to the Montana border. Three miles? I'm guessing. Certainly not much more.
The Frenchman River runs through that big valley in the middle distance, flowing right to left (north to south). I can't see it in this shot, so perhaps the near ridges have blocked it from view. Last summer and fall I hiked along the river, on two occasions, through the wild prairie landscape that always uplifts me when I submit to its charm and stop worrying about whether I'm getting great photos. That concern, after all, is just another distraction. Push too hard and something unknown pushes back, as if to suggest there's a better way. Open yourself to simply being present, and images will stream toward you unbidden. This has been my experience, and why I usually do better work in a receptive - not aggressive - state of mind. Aggression works well for football photographers and paparazzi, but it will only carry you so far in nature. Btw, I photographed a lot of football back in my younger days...
This is still a "transition season" image; most of the snow melted away, and has since be replaced by new snow. It's obviously weighted toward the winter side of the transition. As I sit at my monitor, it's very cold outside and my furnace is going strong. Definitely winter. But I have a week of "transition season wildlife" to share before moving on to something else.
* The map is lying again. This is Canada. I am certain.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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