Snow Swirling Like a Banshee

The latest goin's on here in the land of Trailpixies has been backcountry skiing. We have spent the best part of the last month of weekends in the Canaan Valley area skiing at White Grass, the refuge, and Canaan Mountain. Of course I took pictures. So, I'll get right to telling stories with pictures.

Over President's Day weekend we spent all three days exploring the winter wilderness. On Saturday mid morning we started out on some rather icy trails. We were pretty wrung out from the week, so we began with rather modest expectations for a gentle tour. By noon, it was starting to snow, and our energy level was rising as we began to penetrate the deep winter woods above White Grass. We decided to head out the Cabin Mountain Trail to see exactly where it came back into the trail system. The photo above was taken about half-way around the Cabin Mountain Trail. It was pretty cold and snowy by this point. Four hours after starting our tour, we were elated to come back out just below Bald Knob. The snow was accumulating on our hats and backs, so we decided to head for the lodge. After an exhausing tour, we were happy to kick back and relax by the fire for the evening.

On Sunday we decided to really take that gentle tour, so we headed up to Canaan Mountain for an out-and-back on Canaan Loop Road. The snow was still falling pretty hard. I guess around 6-8 inches had fallen since Saturday noon. Canaan Loop Road was peaceful and quiet as the snow was swirling like a banshee. Occasionally, the snow clouds would part for a moment and some sun would reveal itself. In this picture, Kara was skiing out ahead while the snow was swirling and the sun was shining. I am not sure a more magical combination could be made.

Of course I had to stop and take a panoramic image. That involves setting up a tripod, attaching the tripod head, tamping down a spot in the snow so I can get on my knees in front of the tripod. Then, I have to make some calculations with some charts I carry in my gear. Finally, I have to shoot 10 or 20 images in quick repetition. Since it taks so long to setup the whole thing--about 5 minutes--I generally take at least two or three panoramic images. So, after 15 minutes standing in 15 degree fahrenheit temperatures with snow swirling around (remember that banshee I was talking about), Kara convinced me to pack up and get moving again. I was pretty happy about the image that resulted.

To round-out the long weekend, I got up at 6:00 on Monday morning to take a pre-dawn photographic trek into the refuge. The photos were pretty pedestrian untill I stumbled into a copse of trees that were dripping with warm glowing light. I fell to my knees--which is pretty difficult when you are wearing snowshoes in two feet of snow-- and immediately setup my panoramic equipment. It was about 8 degrees fahrenheit, so when I put on my thinner gloves for using my camera, my fingers were immediately numb. My fingers clumsily stumbled through three versions of the same image--two rows of 15 shots. I was practically shivering, so I packed up my gear and headed back to the cabin.

I think the image was worth it. I printed a 13x40 inch print when I got home and it warms my heart to look at it. During my trek back to the cabin I didn't know if any of my shots came out well, but I did have a wonderful feeling of warmth and satisfaction. As I crested one of the hills, I turned back and saw my meandering path arch across the hillside. I was cold, but I was rejuvenated by the beauty of the wilderness refuge. I recall thinking that it would be fun to throw myself down on the powdery snow and and wriggle around on my back like a dog does in the soft green grass of spring.