Snow melt somberness.

I have no words.

Ok, fine. I actually do. I need to move to northern Finland ASAP. From November onward, there are three mid-winter months that have no sun, allowing the lights to paint the skies astonishingly clearly at night. The killer case of seasonal depression would be completely worth it. Flatlight Films via Travelette. I pretty much held my breath watching this, it was that magical.

Summit graffitti.

Peeping out from underneath layers of ice are signatures, some scrawled over a hundred years ago.

Cold mountains, gray skies and frost.

Even dreary days are beautiful up here if you look at them in the right frame of mind.

See you Monday, friends.

A not so Lonesome Lake (how I spent my days off).

 Do you know what's even better than company? Unexpected really great company.

I hiked up to Lonesome Lake expecting not loneliness but at least a very quiet (and cold) time... and instead had conversations, warmth and company, all very much needed.

I'm pretty over hiking by myself. (Although that didn't stop me from hiking up to Lonesome alone at night in minus ten degree fahrenheit weather... an accomplishment that sounds way less bad ass when I reveal it was less than two miles and only took a half hour.) It was good to have friends show up.

Still working on that balance between art and having a social life and hiking and solitude and isolation. But the last few days felt good. (Despite having zero productivity in terms of artwork.)

Somewhere in Narnia...

or my backyard. I kept expecting to see a lamppost or a faun the other day though. Which is always a nice feeling of anticipation.

Wandering in the White Mountains.

A few years ago I never would have dreamed that this would be my version of an ideal New Year's eve: an unheated cabin with no electricity or modern conveniences and a woodstove for warmth, sitting with both strangers and friends, sipping caretaker hot toddies (whiskey and herbal tea) and talking about poop (caretakers love talking shit - literally). We ate and we drank and everyone was happy to share even after slogging 4 miles uphill with packs full of said food and booze; hikers don't believe in leftovers, they're way too heavy. It was wonderful and made me so much happier than drinking at an overpriced bar with a bunch of strangers who would fail to comprehend that occasionally my job requires me to shovel shit... and I actually enjoy it.

And you know what? The next day was even better. We had hiked up in a bit of a cloud and the forecast had mentioned the possibility of freezing rain, there was ice on the trails and no stars in our New Year's eve night sky; yet we woke up to one of the most beautiful winter mountain mornings I have ever seen, all twenty of us crammed in an old cabin that sleeps fifteen and perches on the side of a mountain right below treeline. So in spite of lack of sleep and a bit of a hangover we had to hike; there was no other option.

Clouds wrapped us and the rocks in hazy shrouds before quickly and politely drifting on so that we could continue to enjoy blue skies and sunshine and warmth. The slippery ice that had made the trail so treacherous throughout the woods vanished above treeline. The snow was packed so firm that footing was sure enough to run just for the sheer joy of it, sprinting from one curving slope between boulder piles to the next. The snow was also hard enough enough for us to do some butt sledding! As I walked I watched friends off in the distance pick their way through jumbles of rock towards the summit, black silhouettes against white snow, and I listened to the tinkling of rime ice as it fell off rocks warmed by sun, the crystalline noise of spindrift blowing across the surface of the snow, and the roar of wind as it whipped past me. I could not stop taking pictures and I could not stop smiling.

It was the best, most beautiful start to a new year that I have ever had.

Bruised knees and brisk weather.

Yesterday I went for a walk, picked up sticks, gathered wintergreen to make tea, and admired waterfalls running through miniature canyons of ice. It was a good day. At least, it was good until I slammed my knee against a rock, bloodying it through a layer of clothing. Ouch. But even that couldn't really put a damper on the bright sun, frosty air, and crisp frozen leaves littering the ground. 

I haven't been spending too much time outdoors lately, using the two fairly valid excuses of illness and attempting to be productive artistically. But if I'm going to be honest, I tend to avoid being active outside when loneliness turns sour on me. Loneliness has been an occupational hazard of mine for over a year now. It's usually something I enjoy; some of my best moments outdoors have been times where I felt completely alone and reveled in it. But every now and then it turns on you; slowly but surely the solitude starts to hurt and it becomes harder and harder to motivate yourself to do the activities you love, just because you're so caught up in wishing someone else was there to participate alongside you. There's a way to defeat these feelings of inertia and misery though, and it's actually quite simple. You just start walking. So yesterday, I walked. And it was good (aside from the bloody knee).

Sometimes coziness trumps adventure.

Yesterday I was going to hike down to the falls but couldn't even manage two miles and turned back. I'm fighting off a cold and my lower back and legs feel like aching tangles of nerve-endings. Coffee and homemade granola with oatmeal and apples and maple syrup (both the apples and syrup are from right down the road) plus homemade chicken soup and the world's best cider (I love my neighbors)... all of that was a lot more appealing than ice and water and walking. It wasn't a very productive day... but at least it was delicious.

Needle ice.

Hello, snow.

Over 6 inches already and it's still coming down. I could go out for a snowy hike or be productive and create some surface patterns... but instead I think I'm going enjoy my made from scratch hot cocoa and bake a tart or two. If I don't lose internet (which we tend to do when it snows heavily) I'll post a recipe later.