Last Light

Last week, just before the sun set behind the mountains, I caught some of the last color in the sky. Hatcher Pass.
Oil on Canvas, 8"x 10".

I was hiking up to Gold Cord Lake today and half way up the hill I was startled by a sound right in front of me. I looked down and a couple of feet away were two Ptarmigans. I had almost stepped on one of them. For some reason they did not fly away but just moved away a couple more feet. I had left my camera in the car so I started sketching them. They did not seem bothered by my presence so I just kept on drawing and drawing... About an hour later I realized I would probably be able to get my camera and they still would be in the same place. So down the mountain I ran to get my camera. On the way back I had to walk really fast because behind me was a large group of people with dogs. I felt sure they would scare the birds away. Fortunately I found the birds again and was able to take photos of them before they were scared away.