On Labour Day weekend I set off on a three-day backpacking trip in Kananaskis Country with Scott, my brother Erik G. and friends Erik A. and Heidi from Edmonton...

It was a pretty nice day but the forecast was calling for a lot of rain. Undaunted by such negative predictions we attacked the route with enthusiasm and gusto.

The predictions held true and eventually we ran into a little bit of rain. Here, Erik G. proudly displays his rain gear.

Little storm after little storm rolled by but we were treated with interludes of sunny, hot weather as we climbed up towards Three Isle Lake. The higher we got, the prettier the view became.

It was only an 11km hike, but the final climb was a bit of slog. We were all pretty hot by the time we got to camp.

Our planned route was a three-day loop that involved a bit of route finding and bushwacking on day 2...

Then we woke up on Sunday morning, and it was still pretty dark out. Thinking I still had time to coze in my toasty sleeping bag I waited for the sun to come up. Eventually it dawned on Scott that it wasn't still dark out, but rather that our tent was covered in snow. When we opened the door we saw 6 inches of snow on the ground!

We emerged from our tent to discover a winter wonderland. The landscape had completely transformed overnight and it was as beautiful as it was shocking.

Unfortunately our plan to bushwack our way to the next camp had to be revised and we aborted our mission, retreating back to the starting point. We were a little disappointed to not be able to continue with the route, but the thought of a toasty, warm cabin on Lower Kananaskis Lake courtesy of Heidi lifted our spirits.

This stunning photo is not in black and white! Three Isle Lake looked like an Ansel Adams photograph, completely devoid of any real colour.

Proof! I felt like I was living in a black and white world, but Erik G. and Scott proved otherwise.

The snow continued and we set off back from whence we came. It was surreal!

We laughed and laughed and laughed about the snow. Smiles all around for the group!

The view from the day before was shrouded in fog, and as we walked down the long descent it seemed as though we had reached the end of the world.

The snow remained at lower elevations, which was pretty surprising. All of the green vegetation that had seemed so lush the day before was covered in the white stuff.

We made it! Not quite the adventure we were hoping for, but a good one all the same. We've resolved to return next year and make another attempt at the loop! Sometimes that's just the way it goes. ;)