Years ago, circumstances had me visiting the south a couple of times a year.
Driving past endless rows of cotton fields, I imagined that the cotton was clumps of snow that had attached to cold limbs.
The damp snow this week clung to a lilac bush and reminded me of how the cotton looked.
Barely visible beneath the ridge of Elk Mountain, trail lights shine for one of the last nights of night skiing for this season.
Still tons of snow on the slopes, check Elkskier.com for schedule and conditions!
Being a human, it’s difficult to imagine a comfortable home accessible only underwater. Yet our neighbor beavers find comfort and protection through the long winter in carefully constructed lodges.
Come out and enjoy some awesome skiing this Sunday and support a great cause!!!
When opening the Tecumseh trail on Elk Mountain recently, I came across this fellow making his way across the freshly groomed slope on his way back home.
I stopped several feet away from him and hailed him a good morning. It’s uncertain if he could have been less interested in me.
He glanced over his shoulder at my voice, twitched his backside in warning, and waddled unhurried into the woods.
There’s a row of pegs protruding from the outside wall of the ski patrol base between which we lean our skis.
I noticed the detail of frost that had formed on the pegs over night, and had recently so spectacularly coated the trees near the summit.
Winter winds and precipitation carefully selected and frosted trees near Elk Mountain’s summit.
About an hour after admiring the subtle pastels of the evening sunset pictured below, I happened outside to the sky now filled with lava colored clouds.
Frequented for several years prior, this house went uninhabited the last couple of summers.
Last spring, I emptied the house of twigs and other interior features that had accumulated. My nose told me that Mr. Mouse and family had probably been squatters in this house at the expense of his avian woodland dweller neighbors.
I thought that I had accomplished this task soon enough after winter to make the house attractive to new spring tenants.
Alas, the house remained empty this summer. It rests now ready to accept occupants as soon as seasons change.
Temperatures have been ranging from -15 to near +50 degrees leaving the tree buds and limbs alternately coated with ice and snow. When the sun illuminates them, the frozen water droplets seem almost as iridescent as pearls.
“I know I shouldn’t do this, I know I shouldn’t say this.” I announced to my co-workers when I walked in one morning earlier this week holding a piece of ice in my hand.
“Think of what an 80 degree day feels like. Now think of how different from that a 40 degree day feels. Point being, a temperature differential of 40 degrees is significant. ”
“I did some math just now and realized that the piece of ice in my hand at 32 degrees, is more than 40 degrees warmer than the current air temperature of – 15.” They smirked, shook their heads, and continued to layer up.
We bundled up and got on the chairlift. By the time I reached the top, the half inch gap between my goggles and hood had let enough air on my cheeks to cause them to burn. I had felt this before, and knew that if left exposed, my skin would soon freeze.
I added my face mask to all my other layers, and set to morning chores.
The weather station on top of the mountain reported -12 air temperature – warmer than the valleys. With the wind sensor frozen, we estimated a 15-20 mph wind consistent with current weather reports.
Soon word came down that given the combination of ice, cold, wind and bad roads, we would close for the day. So, we undid the chores done so far, packed up, and enjoyed the day from inside the home.
Once there, curiosity got the best of me, so I looked up and found that a 20 mph wind with -12 air temperature resulted in a -37 degree wind chill. The National Weather Service calculates under these conditions, exposed flesh will freeze in less than 10 minutes. My chairlift ride seemed to confirm this.
We had eaten a good breakfast, and layered up in warm technical clothing. Though with preparation, caution and mindfulness we could have stayed outside, it was a nice day to enjoy from the warm side of the windows.