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.
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.
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.