lynx tracks

Another beautiful day! After yesterday i want to take it easy today, and take 'normal' cross-country skis. I go in the same direction, up the 'firesmart'. When i come to the cross-roads of trails at the top. I see that Margriet, my neighbour, has made some fresh ski tracks on the North end of the 'firesmart' going East. I take advantage of that.
Thanks Margriet!
This is a nice trail actually, i don't take it often. It goes slightly up hill for 1 km. and then down for another. Getting glimpses of the mountain i was on yesterday.
On the downhill part i ski on a, few days old, skidoo track, which works wonderful, just gliding down with ease.
Now the skidoo happens to turn South, which would bring me to the road. Of course i want to turn North. Breaking trail! What did i say; the greatest joy? But these are neither the right skis or boots for that. I am getting wet socks, of snow working it's way in.
Then in the swamp i find another set of tracks. Lynx tracks. They follow the trail for a while and then turn into the woods, see photo. Another day i will follow them, see if i can find other sign of the Lynx. There are many rabbit (snowshoe hare) tracks too. I can see why the Lynx likes it here.
I climb (skis in hand)to a little ridge to sit and enjoy for a while, The sky is blue ,but above the Mountains in the South hangs thick cloud with yellow in it.
I glide down on skis back in the swamp.

Coming back on the 'firesmart' i am definitely in the shadow. This is a Northern slope. And suddenly i see the graceful branches of Birch trees(photo). I never knew there where Birches here, but considering its a North slope i am not surprised, there are lots of Alders too, another one that likes dark and wet.


When i come home, the sun is disappearing behind that cloud front in the South and it makes a nice shot of a very familiar view, some of you that have been here will recognize it.
The view from the out-house.
How do you like that guy?

Up on top

Here is what the wind was doing on top of the mountain yesterday.
Blowing away the snow under a thin crust and then once in while blowing away the crust, shards of ice blown away, tumbling over the snow, shattering to 'dust'.

Ah, and that's how i feel today.
I cuddle up to Don and cry a bit. He knows this and laughs.
That's good, because I am not sad.

It's that darn 'raising a child' thing again. i think.
I have so much fear there.
I am the mother, i am the mountain.
I cover my child with a warm blanket of snow.
Then comes the wind,
shatters it all,
exposes it all.
I know,
My child, who is not a child anymore,
Stands there tall like the mountain,
He withstands the wind.



Ah, where did that come from? Thanks to those who inspired it.
I only know, when i feel an emotion i have trouble with, I go there right away.
Today in this new form.
In the past i have experienced; dealing with my fear, everything works out.
Of course it is very scary for me to say this, that it works out.
Because i'll never know.....
It's maybe a mothering thing, having to let go of her child.
I will still go to the bottom of that, but to go to that depth, i can't sit here at the computer. I'll let you know.

Up the Mountain

Ah, it's a beautiful day. Just below zero temperatures and sunshine.
I didn't know where to go this morning, but then i was talking to somebody on-line, about beauty; -it's up the mountain, i go!
I take my epoke skis, which have bindings so that i can wear winterboots, which are better to climb the mountain, once i ski to it.
The wind is blowing,a South wind, soon i take my jacket of.
It's nice to hear the wind in the treetops, sometimes a breeze swirls around me.Till i come to the top of the esker. I love being in the wind! Snow is blowing.
Good thing i am not on top of the mountain opposite the valley. I love looking at it though. So, wild!
I loved the groomed trails in the beginning of the week,
but nothing beats cutting once own trail. There is incredible joy in that. Even when it gets a little out of hand, and i can barely pull my skis out.
Going uphill is quite ardeous too.
That reminds me of the beauty i am after. Nobody said it would be easy.I remind my self to go slow, one step at the time. And! I realize,i actually already am in the land of love and delight. I enjoy All, in between steps.


Yes, the snow is deep. I keep going till i find a nice high lunch spot. Higher and higher I go. Finally i reach a point i aimed for. Then the mountain makes me laugh, because the snow is shallow here, mostly blown off. And after struggling in deep snow, here i can actually walk, so i go higher yet! And I laugh again because this is no place to sit down, it's like what i saw accross the valley.
Going down is always fun. I have to make sure i go slow, uphill i had to stop every 5 meters, being out of breath. But now i have to make sure all this Joy is not over too soon.
Sun, wind, snow and the big, big sky, how good can it get?

An Owl is hooting

It is almost 11 pm, way past my regular bedtime. I stepped outside, it's a starry night, Venus and the moon have gone down already. And there i hear in the far distant, an owl hooting. Over the years i find that often happens the end of January, but its been years since i've seen the owls.

The owl did make me want to write though. It's been a busy week and tomorrow i work all day. So tonight's the night.(to write)

About the pictures earlier this evening; I took the first one.
On the drive home; Venus was the first to show, in the fading daylight in between dark clouds. And suddenly the new Moon appeared too from behind the clouds. When we got home there was a little light left and i was able to take the first photo.
Then Alexander got ambitious, took the tripod and set the camera on a different setting. It's something else, i still have to learn. Kids these days seem to know these thing automatically. He explained to me to turn the dial to TV and then change the exposure speed. So there you go, he took the 2nd photo!

I also still wanted to finish the cross country ski story at Mount Mac. (McIntyre)
The trails are beautiful and the views incredible. The area quite extensive.
When we were skiing back, clouds rolled in and above Grey Mountain, they turned steal blue. With a stripe of light blue sky just above the mountains. A mountain above Lake Laberge shining in the sunlight and some dappled sunlight on Grey Mountain.
A beautiful sight. And i wonder if these steal blue clouds in the North herald warmer weather. I've noticed it before like that. And indeed today with a fierce wind it did warm considerably.

Well, i better go to bed now, Goodnight.

Venus and the new moon

Whitehorse

I am in Whitehorse today. And went on a very nice long ski with Mary. At the mount McIntyre ski lodge. Through some wonderful people I got a free seasons pass there. What a treat.
I haven't skied on groomed trails...ever actually.
It is a beautiful sunny day, the trees have snow on the them and the trails are....well perfect.
I'll tell you about it more later...gotta go.

Snow angels

Never too old for snow angels.
Last year around this time my friend Anne came out to make some snow angels.


It is snowing. I ski the 'beach trail' and with that fresh snow the skiing is excellent again. My skis scraping the ice underneath. Nothing really much to tell. All is grey and white. Towards the North-West there is some stripes of blue sky above the mountains.
I hear the birds, but barely see them.
This weekend the Grosbeak male was brilliant red. It is mating season and i suppose their colors show more.

What else was brilliant this weekend;

Venus! Yes that shining star,(planet) in the South-West in the evening. Apparently it was at its highest point in the sky last Wednesday. Now slowly going down until it disappears in March, till it becomes a morning star again.
It will get brighter though, in the next weeks. According to something i read (i forget where) on February 19 it will be most bright.
I always have to somehow wrap my mind about these things to understand it fully.
But i think this is how it is. Venus spins around the sun closer to it then us. Venus is coming closer to us. We are both on the same side of the sun. Where its shape actually becomes more crescent, because it is so close to the Earth on Feb 19 it is most brilliant. Picture the spinning of the solar system. Pfff when you get it ,i'll get it.
Christopher noticed i had gotten some of the facts wrong, i took those out. And do you want to understand it better, please read his comment below here, click comment.
I hope i get this right; but we only see Venus in the evening or morning, because it spins closer around the sun then we do. So we actually have to face towards the sun a bit in order to see it.

I'll just enjoy watching it, its out again as i am typing this