Thursday 18 February 2016

Walking by moonlight

It’s nippy at -12°C but the air is absolutely still with not a breath of movement.  A nearly-full moon hangs high in a deep black sky, a sky so clean and crisp that Orion, the hunter, stands majestic, unaffected by the brightness.

I’m out walking the grand-dog. We have no need for artificial light; the moonlight reflecting off a fresh snowfall is more than adequate to see by. We walk through patches of light and dark as the trees cast long, sharp shadows across the road. I know that deer, coyotes, and even wolves sometimes use this path at night, especially when the snow is deep, but we see no other living creature. Nor do we hear any. My footsteps crunching on the packed snow are the only sound; even the dog is silent as he pads along beside me.

It’s winter as city-dwellers never get to experience. And it’s truly magical.

14 comments:

  1. A true live-in-the-now moment, and nicely narrated, Dave.

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  2. Your footsteps were enough to keep all sensible critters away. Anything that makes noise is dangerous to any "wild" animal. :-) All as it should be. Beautifully described Dave.

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    1. Thanks Pat. Don't you miss it... just a little bit sometimes?

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  3. Generally on Christmas Eve, just after dark, I think: "wouldn't it be lovely to have just a small snow flurry with the stars shining above?" That lasts about 10 seconds, then I think: "Don't be silly!" :-) But do I remember nights like that? Yes, very fondly, and from a great distance. :-)

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  4. Those walks, late (or early in my case) are magic. The pups and I were out more than once like that, those times really missed. Thanks for the sweet and gentle reminder David.

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    1. Coop - I'm glad my post brought back some good memories for you.

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  5. Walking in the country at night - beautiful.

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