A blast of warmth blew through today, tempered by a constant bite of north wind. A wonderful day for a ski with friends. By 1:00 pm the sun rose above the mountains, and a plus four degree temperature followed us out onto the trail. We skied across open bogs, into winter's breif but bright sunlight, with the brunt of the wind at our backs. Fine pieces of crystalline snow carried us along with the flowing sinuous dance, back and forth, filling in and carving out, across a surface hardened by winters breath. Upon the surface small drifted edges of snow changed the entire context of light and color. And as the treeline pinched the last bit of sun into its shadow, colors fell through dramatic contrasts in blues, purple and mauves and we returned home toward the first stars of the north sky.
