Golden Snow Mist and Unbroken Snow in the Barrens

It was officially the prettiest snow of the entire season. We had around five inches up here, and it was clinging to every branch on every tree. I got out of bed and got outside as quickly as I possibly could in the morning, and boy was I rewarded. Out I went, up Tow Hill, and straight into the Scotia Barrens.

Then the winds came and started whipping the snow all over. And the trees moved and the white stuff fell, and it made big snow clouds that moved through the woods like a mist. Then the sunlight came, and it was sunshine through golden snowy misty trees with sparkling crystals flying everywhere. Visually, there is just NOTHING that compares to light through snow in the woods.

Blowing and falling snow are some of the toughest weather conditions for the camera, almost as bad as driving rain, but not quite. These were some of the most challenging photography conditions I've encountered this winter, but it was also gorgeous. It was beyond that. It was SPECTACULAR!

I did my best to protect my camera, often bending over and holding it under me, sheltering it with my body as the snow fell and fell and fell. I kept wiping it off and then blowing snow off it (and praying, yes, I did that too).

When I got into the Barrens and discovered that I was being given the gift of unbroken snow, I couldn't help dancing! In fact, I did what I call the Dance of the Unbroken Snow right at the spot you see in the extras. I had my tunes box on and the woods were so beautiful, it was mesmerizing. What could I do but take pictures . . . and dance?

I took more than 200 photos of the snow, between my walk up and down Tow Hill and then into the Barrens. The shot above is called Golden Snow Mist. The one in the extras is called The Gift of Unbroken Snow.

I've got two photos so here are two songs. My themes are Unbroken, and Golden. So my songs are Will the Circle Be Unbroken, by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Johnny Cash, and Ricky Skaggs; and When They Ring the Golden Bells, by Natalie Merchant, former lead singer for the 10,000 Maniacs.

P.S.1. Conditions like these are one of the reasons why I chose the camera I carry, the Canon PowerShot SX60 HS. The lens is not able to be changed. It is considered a bridge camera with super-zoom capabilities. It can go from ice macros at three inches away to faraway hawk shots in the blink of an eye. If you think you are going to change LENSES in weather like this, you might just have another think coming!

P.S.2. I saw tracks in the snow by Jensen the orange kitty's house that I think may belong to him. I have not seen him in a very long time, so I was worried about him. They tracked over to the fence where the deer sometimes like to lie. Yes, Jensen is a deer whisperer, and I found deer tracks a bit further up the road, so I guess he is up to his old tricks! The Jensen stories: Meow Said Jensen, Meow Said Jensen (Redux), Hello, Jensen! Orange Kitty Love Fest, The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship.

P.S.3. On this trek, I carried my tunes box in my right pocket; in my left pocket was a brand new mini hand warmer that I just bought TWO of on Amazon for just under $10 apiece. It can fit in my glove, except that my hands are usually too busy for that. It recharges via my computer's USB port and has three different heat settings. I predict it just may be a game changer for cold hands in some of the outdoor conditions I shoot in. I'll have to show them to you one of these days; here's an Amazon link.