Winter Light Through Trees and Mist

The day arrived, sunny and beautiful. We had hoped to spend it out hiking, but my husband wanted to jog first. So we went to Moshannon State Forest, above Black Moshannon. He jogged and I took pictures. Then we hiked three miles in the snow.

We've had every type of winter weather this week: freezing rain on Monday, ice on Tuesday, tiny blizzards all day long on Wednesday, extreme cold on Thursday and on some of the overnights into the weekend.

When we arrived, there was ice in the trees and it coated every twig and branch. But it was a sunny day, with blue skies. And as it turned warmer - above freezing, at last! - all of the ice began to melt. It fell in chunks. It melted and dripped. In the woods, the sound was loud and wet.

As we reached the end of our journey, a little area at the bottom where people camp and a wooden bridge crosses the creek, we entered the wettest area of all. It was like a rainforest. I handled my camera carefully, but still ended up wiping droplets off it. I wished for an umbrella.

My husband was in front of me. "You won't believe this!" he said. "There is MIST rising off the water!" I looked at my watch: 2 p.m. Mist in the afternoon? Be still, my beating heart! You KNOW how I feel about mist!

In spite of the challenging conditions, I walked through that corridor of light and mist along the creek about four times, trying to get a decent shot, praying I wouldn't ruin my camera with the trying.

So here, my friends, may I present: the special magic of winter light through trees and mist on a sunny December afternoon.

The soundtrack song is Linda Ronstadt, with Winter Light.