Gold Creek

Sometimes I intentionally go hiking in the snow.  It's called snow shoeing, but people still ask me "why do you do that?  Well, it's beautiful, it is usually quiet, and if you're at Snoqualmie Pass, you can get a great cup of hot chocolate at Red Mountain Coffee when you're done.

When you hike the same place it can be different because of the light, weather, or fall foliage, but in the winter it actually changes shape depending on the amount of snow.  I  like edges of Gold Creek or Mardee Lake. I have never seen the same ice formation or reflection twice.

In the summer it is easy to see that Mardee lake was formed from a gravel pit used to build I-90, but in the winter it is different.  Some times it is a lake and some times it is covered with snow and ice,  Ive seen beaver swim in it and foot prints that cross what looks like an open  snow field only to disappear in the center. (I kind of wonder about those foot prints.) Monet painted 30 pictures of Rouen Cathedral to catch the  light at differnt times of the day across its facade.  I've taken several hundered photographs of the light on Mardee Lake, but you're in luck.  I'm only going to post two.

And the lake is quite beautiful when the sun had gone down behind the hills. (Bring a warm coat.  It is also quite chilly.)

Of course, to see beavers swiming, you need a little open water than in this picture.

And once the sun has gone down, you get some great mists that form over the open water.

So it was a great day followed by hot chocolate and a safe drive home.