“Mid Morning in February, and the winter sun beams brightly between the pines; the world stands in silence.” – Ed Lehming

This season, I have experienced something altogether new; mornings in the winter forest, and it is spectacular! You see, in the past, I would wait till afternoon to venture out onto the trails, giving the sun some time to warm the air. I really did not feel I was missing anything; I was wrong.

I’ve been venturing out earlier this year mostly to avoid the crowds of people who have discovered the forest trails; the COVID escapees. This actually began for me in early December, when a new fallen snow transformed the winter world. This was the heavy, wet snow, that clings to everything, forming thick blankets of snow and suspending miraculously on slender branches, its weight causing those same branches to bend towards the ground.

I had been enjoying watching the snowfall from my kitchen window while enjoying a cup of hot coffee when I decided that I would like to be in this wonderland, rather than just an observer. So, I got into my truck and made the quick fifteen minute drive to my favourite trail, something I generally don’t do in the winter, but I was concerned that even a slight change in temperature or wind would quickly undo this wonder. As I stepped into the forest I was awestruck at the magnificent and unspoiled beauty of the snow-filled landscape. I posted those photos back in December, if you care to look back.

In any case, that single morning experience has made me far more apt to get up a bit earlier to enjoy the soft winter sun, among the pines and scenes like this.

iPhone 12 Pro @ 4.2 mm
1/340 sec, f/1.6, ISO 32