Yesterday I posted about the kids, the dog and I going up to Beaver Creek State Park, but devoted it to the dog...today I'll deal with the rest of the trip!
We actually spent the majority of our trip south of the Park proper...but we found this magnificent slope of untracked powder to play in! The wind was blowing, but it didn't seem to have the bite it has in the recent past, so we were pretty comfortable. My main goal was to set up a couple of footprint shots with the kids, but as I walked up I must have gotten off the road and ended up in a huge drift! So I got very few of the shots I really wanted before the kids and the dog tracked the hillside up!
Since I don't own a pair of snowpants myself, I'd worn a big old pair of sweats, my boots, and long socks. All of these became soaked in the drift as I struggled in snow up to my thighs! Below the two inches of fresh powder there was a tough crust that I had to break through...it took a lot of energy just to get back to the road! When I stopped to rest I took a couple more pictures of the kids.
Liam was my hero, helping break a trail for me out of the drift. What a guy!
The sun glaring off all of that snow made it hard for anyone to pose without squinting...especially when Mom's mobility was limited by snow drifts!
The boys brought their Nerf guns...but no ammo, so at least we didn't have to hunt through the snow for little, orange, squishy bullets!
It seems like these frowny-faced pictures happen more and more with Liam, though this time it was definitely due to the glare off of the snow. I think he's reaching the age where he's trying to be tough and serious!
The smiles do come, though!
Its pretty funny when the kids start to critique shots as I take them. When I was pointing the camera at Jackson here Liam pointed out "You can't see his eyes, Mom!" He was right, of course!
Moira seems to know exactly how to pose...but she's grown up with it! I wonder if her being a girl has anything to do with it, or is it just that she's the youngest in the family and a natural attention seeker?
I love finding these little gems out in the middle of nowhere! We've been up to Beaver Creek State Park before, but never went far beyond it. This old cabin was a few miles beyond the little reservoir between the Park and the ski hill. It was a perfect day to take its portrait!
And placing the cabin inside its environment, with the sun shining off that bare knob in the background perfectly framed by trees....Wow! It was a wonderful day!
Back inside the Park we stopped at one of the many campgrounds and had another run. The creek runs through here and the spot really was lovely!
Our family is not from the 'flat land' here in the central and eastern portion of Montana, so its been difficult to equate the Bear's Paw Mountains with the Rockies we're so much more used to. But being in those mountains with the snow deep and brilliant around us, the creek flowing down through the coulees, and the sun shining down around us made for an incredible afternoon, and reminded me how blessed we've been to live in this area of the state!
Beaver Creek State Park
No comments:
Post a Comment