Last night I was able to read author Greg Breinings' chapter on cold for our upcoming book,
"Paddle North."
Great timing!
Today we will be experiencing another arctic outbreak here in the upper midwest. Failing to address the issue of extreme cold in our neck of the woods would be a mistake when covering the BWCA. Breining has brought home the concept of cold in his words and descriptions. You'll enjoy his musings. Since I spend a great deal of my winter out in the wilderness cold, selecting images for this chapter will be a treat.
Some of my fondest winter moments seem to happen after a fresh snowfall. The reasons are obvious I think. There's a softness and calmness that comes with a fresh, cleansing snowfall.
Making fresh tracks in the snow make you feel like you are the first to leave your mark on winter. Observing tracks of wildlife, like fresh wolf tracks is exhilarating. A story seems to unfold right in front you. When were they here? What did they see? Were they chasing something? Or, just traveling by?
Getting a glance of a wolf is akin to a celebrity sighting. Its pretty rare and almost always memorable. In an earlier blog here, I had spotted a cluster of five wolf pups when my daughter, Austin and I were looking for Erik Simula completing the last leg of his epic journey last summer along the Grand Portage. Austin and I still talk about that thrilling moment in the woods.
Winter can warm your soul.
Great post, Layne! As we "experience" another major snow here in the Midwest today, I look forward to later today or tomorrow when the snow has ended. Those first hours after a fresh snowfall, regardless of how cold, are magical. And after the temps of the past couple weeks, today's +12 degrees F feel downright balmy, so I look forward to a walk in the woods myself.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I look forward to the book - thanks for keeping us posted. Cheers!