“Spring was coy that year, and the cold season had a long and fretful death…”

Owing to a trip out of the country during the latter half of March followed by visits to relatives out-of-state for Easter holiday upon our return, this blog has gathered a bit of dust, as it were.  Contemplating the end of one cycle even as the next has arrived, and the appearance of snow flurries on the other side of the window pane only just earlier this morning, it seems appropriate to pay one last tribute to the cold season before fully embracing spring.

Our final winter trek was a test of endurance to Lake Solitude – a rigorous, 2 mile hike – much of it on steep, uphill terrain.  Circumstances were such that a very small group set out early in the day, while a few individuals who arrived a bit later ended up making most of the long hike to the top on their own.  The reward was a truly spectacular view of the Lake and the surrounding majestic peaks.  No less a reward was the opportunity for quiet reflection in the midst of an awe-inspiring and humbling expanse.

In no particular order, some impressions (literal and otherwise):

Snowshoes from the old school

Virgin snow

Swirling eddies

A towering yellow birch

Contemplation

A glimpse of the clearing

Two travelers…

…and the tracks left behind

A cloudless, cerulean sky

A small band of adventurers

A last look back…