Edmonton’s winter had only recently arrived when twelve hearty souls ventured into the Edmonton River Valley to hike Snow Valley to John Janzen Nature Centre.
Winter has arrived in Whitemud Ravine
To our delight, we ran into Edmonton nature photographer, Wayne Oakes. Wayne was our guest at the 2022 Annual General Meeting, where he gave a fascinating slide show presentation on the remarkable animals and plants in the Whitemud Ravine. So far he has logged over 10,000 hours there. That’s 10,000 hours of opportunities to shoot amazing photos in just one area.
Wayne advised us to be on the lookout for “snow snakes”, which sounds rather alarming. However, we learned they are not literally snakes—just a snow phenomenon, so we proceeded with calm.
Wayne Oakes, Whitemud Ravine
We also saw a variety birds, including a large pilated woodpecker.
The wind prevented us from taking many photos. Fortunately, we were able to have our lunch indoors at the Nature Center and to use the space to warm up. On the return, there was less wind, and so the walking was less difficult.
Thanks to everyone who came out to the hike, and to the City of Edmonton for maintaining these trails and the Nature Centre. You can find more photos on Flickr.
