Birch Paths
We still have a lot of snow in the woods, alternately deep, soft and cludgy, or treacherously icy. Many trees are still bent right over, cemented to the ground. Many of these have now split completely, in some parts of the woods there is total devastation. On this particular path through the woods, the ground was strewn with a carpet of broken birch twigs creating these intriguing patterns. This photo is edited to enhance the contrast, making it more like what I saw in my mind originally, a criss-crossing of different routes.
Today’s walk featured a young roe deer sheltering amongst fallen trees right beside the trail, and a mountain hare (white hare) which had also made itself a den in fallen branches. Its camouflage was perfect – I didn’t see it until my dog’s nose actually touched it, at which point it broke cover, ran 10 yards, and stopped to watch us (ears and nose twitching). They really are fabulous animals, with such huge paws helping them to skip across the snow surface! Here’s a gallery by a local wildlife photographer.
“In some lands, Hare is the messenger of the Great Goddess, moving by moonlight between the human world and the realm of the gods; in other lands he is a god himself, wily deceiver and sacred world creator rolled into one.”
– Terri Windling.
“I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
– John Muir.