How Still the Cold & Quiet
I drive to Glennallen a lot. The road there is an abundance of inspiration and the sparse spruce and hemlock trees make me hold my breath every time I look out across the Valley. About a week and a half ago I made my first winter trip to the area and, as expected, the trees were covered in snow giving them an almost extra-terrestrial feel. I’m always amazed by how still the cold and quiet out there can be. If you venture into the waist-deep snow on a day without wind, it doesn’t long at all before the sound of any passing car fades away and the world becomes motionless. Everything is frozen—from the bark to the road to time. Watching my breath hang in the air is strangely peaceful; as is simply bedding down in the snow and just looking around. I’m not the biggest fan of the cold, I’ll admit it. I’m a Southern California type at heart—hot, but not too hot; sunny, but not intrusive. Sitting in this forest, though, I’m reminded of why it is so special, having a briefly frozen world. I marvel at the patterns the frost makes on the trees, not to mention just the way the snow can form is so diverse and unpredictable. With all the snow you could be forgiven for thinking that the world is lost in a blanket of just white, but colors run abundant. The blue in the sky and snow, the deep browns and everlasting green of the trees. The subtle pinks as the sun sets. The glow of yellow on a sunny day. And don’t forget about all of the wildlife that still somehow thrives! Ptarmigan and hares transition and blend to hide from the ever-present lynxes, foxes, wolves, eagles, and coyotes (possibly my favorite of them all). The moose, in all their titanic glory, survive on sticks for so many months, without reprieve when the weather takes a turn for the worst. Ravens and magpies laugh and steal and scavenge when they can. It is a long and dark winter, but they survive again and again and again. Just like the forest.
Amongst the trees (whose age I’m always wondering) negative temperatures go unnoticed. It’s just my camera, the forest, me, and someday if I’m lucky, a very photogenic animal.
