natural areas,  snow

Frigid Morning

Tracks
The Trail

I glanced at the clock, it said 5:30 am. The darkness of my room let me know it was cold outside, making the bed feel warm and inviting. The sun would be rising in an hour. I had plenty of time to dress and drive out to County Road 15 in search of a morning sunrise. I pulled the covers up, snuggled under the comforter and closed my eyes.

Nature at Work
Nature at Work

I finally ventured out around 8:30 and made my way to the Environmental Learning Center. When I parked the car the temperature on the car dashboard said 5 degrees. With backpack on and camera around my neck I headed for the footbridge to cross the river and onto the 2.5 mile trail. Every once in a while the sun would peek through the patches of light clouds causing sparkles on the snow. Quiet. Nature was all I could hear except for the sound of my boots as I walked on the fresh snow. A small flock of Canada Geese called out as they flew overheard. I heard the hawk call, letting me know I had come too close and then watched him fly off to the south. Not a breathe of wind. Most of the tracks on the trail were from others who had ventured out yesterday then covered up with the snowfall from last night. I found fresh tracks from the deer, the rabbits, a fox and I think a raccoon. I had the place to myself. When I got back to the car, the dashboard said it had warmed up to 10 degrees. My toes and fingers were cold. A hot latte sounded pretty good on such a frigid morning. Hope everyone stays warm today. I plan on it.

Retired. Having fun with photography. Journal daily. Meditate daily. Learning haiku/poetry. Have a love for fountain pens.

3 Comments

  • Tom Dills

    Makes me shiver just thinking about those temperatures, Monte. We hit the mid-60s here today, looks like we’ll be above freezing but rainy the next week or so. Kathy saw her shadow today, so she’s pretty happy.

    I like both of these photos, but the trail calls to me the most. Stay warm!

    • Monte Stevens

      Sorry about the shadow sighting. 🙂 I watch your weather as a comparison along with a few others across the states. Keeps me informed. Who knows I may move out your way and lower the quality of the neighborhood.

      Our side roads are still a mess in many parts of town. Snow plows can’t keep up. And, they are forecasting 1-3 inches of snow tonight and into tomorrow. Along with that comes the cold temperatures. Can’t keep my hands warm.

      • Tom Dills

        You couldn’t do much more to lower the quality of the neighborhood since we moved in, Monte! 🙂 Come on over! We’re only about 15 minutes from CLT airport, so you could even go to work if you wanted to. Me, I just like watching the planes on approach over the house.