Snow Pines

Though snow pales the view at this time of year to mostly silver and gray, pines punctuate this slope with glimpses of green from under their cold coat; the underbrush borders the scene with it’s auburn stems.

Home to frequent rainbows, often source of coyote howls and the slurred squeal of hawks, usually the place autumn shows it’s first trembling of color, this valley speaks, telling of the seasons, witnesses the beings who live here and migrate through.

A drop of water that falls exactly at the top of this ridge will split in two – one half ending up in the Lackawanna River, the other, in the East Branch of the Tunkhannock Creek, on to the Susquehanna River finally flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.

The frigid weather has moderated to bracing. The crew at Elk has been making the most of this weather: snowguns running hard in subzero weather have been putting out nothing less than “white smoke”. Conditions are excellent for Winterfest tomorrow at Elk. There’s enough natural snow for great snow-shoeing or xc-skiing on the Rail-Trails – meet at 10:00 at the Union Dale trailhead.

Stop by one of the local eateries like “The View” in Clifford for a hearty meal to make sure you’ve got plenty of “coal in the furnace” and get out and enjoy some of the best winter weather and activities in years!