Winter Storm clouds over Geal-Charn-Mor, the Monadhliath Mountains
Taken a few years ago on a ski trip across the Monadhliath. We started out with blue skies and perfect conditions, but the weather was rapidly coming in and by the time we were up in the hills it was getting quite dramatic. You can see the spindrift blowing accross the foreground, and those distant dark shapes are trees disappearing into the cloud. It can be quite disconcerting in the mountains in snow and mist and impossible to judge distance. In mist it can even be hard to tell if one is moving or not as there are no reference points.
I love the feeling of space up on these hills, which seems immeasurably increased in the snow.
“Around us, life bursts with miracles – a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life’s daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh