Selfdfenz, thanks.
It was (both of them) pretty special treats. I think the Snow Story was one of my best times ever in the woods. So very cool to just watch a snowflake form & drop through such a so very blue, blue sky. Actually quite incredible. - even still.
Thinking back though - The Wife & I did a winter backpacking trip in the Lost Creek Wilderness area once - around Presidents' Day - early Februray, as I recall.
Was cold as hell - about -15F We woke up, got out of the bags & then started to FREEZE! COLD! Brrrrzzz ....
Fired up the camp stove for coffee & did a fire for some warmth.
The sky was as in the last recounter - a bluer than blue thing, but there was a noise, just barely audible - sounded somewhat like someone doing bacon about a mile away.
We were, doing a winter camping trip at -15F, so alone that there was nothing else moving in our entire world.
Turns out is was frozen air - the barest ice particles, if you will - blowing, with about a one mile an hour breeze, through the lifeless branches - it was making such a noise that I have never heard before, or since.
The barest rustling, while overwhelming, after a second's notice of your surroundings.
I couldn't ever write it, but it was the sound of your most close, dear-one whispering a Shhhsss in your ear/& bacon frying about a mile away.
Elusive, yet everpresent, I'd guess.
Nonetheless, we had the quick coffee & beat feet the hell outa there 'cause we were cold as all get out. The Wife still mentions my (dis)demeanor & breaking camp. ;-) Hey! I wuz COLD! ;-) My bad!
Thanks again, BTW, for whoever started this thread.
Brings back many a thing every time I get an e-mail refreshing this thread .....
I remember another time, when the tide was turning out over the flats in the Florida back-country.
A mereist of channels, but never you mind, it was The Only Channel for the water to pour out of.
Prolly about 1000 miles of flatland washing out through a 6-foot deep channel & all off it was pouring through this one "river."
Imagine it!
Permit, snook, dolphin - everything! all pouring through this one area all at once.
Utterly amazing! & the strength of this "tide" was, although only about a 6 knot deal (which is fairly outstanding in itself), took everything away from the flats through this channel.
We body-surfed through the tidal flow withe the boat following behind us.
Not
too fun. ;-)
Our lake froze over once with a deer dead somehow out on the ice.
We had Bald Eagles eating that for over a month. Had easily a dozen fly over the house in a five minutes timespan.
That was fairly rare.
One time, again out along The Platte SWA, I was hunting quail/pheasants & my black lab Spook flushed & caught in his mouth a bobwhite.
I thought that very cool & "what a conservation tool my dog is" catching a wounded quail.
I bent down to pick the bird outa his mouth. There was about 4" of snow over a fairly heavy undergrowth.
As I retreived the bird, the covey started to erupt between my legs.
A flushing of quail - 2 to 3 birds at a whack.
Spooked!? you betcha.
I'd shoot once, twice, maybe hit a bird - or most likely not. Reload, just in case & .....
Happened again & again.
The covery erupted at least 5 times.
Turned out, after 11 shots, I hit exactly two birds.
The dog got one - live. I hit 2.
Now I've had a covey split right there a time or two, but I have never had one explode between my legs - ever.
Quite the hoot!
As i recall, this was the same day we had the hawk chaising the pheasant.
Not a bad day all-in-all.
Have you ever seen two hawks doing their air-dance, in the sky for mating, or for play?
I have once.
I once shot a grouper so large that the 3-banded spear-gun bounced off his head while me & my bud looked with delight that we
din't git 'em - we would've been towed AWAY, or lost all our gear.
& the moray eel so large that it was easily 3' high & over 8' long - just after.
I saw a shimmering cloud-like-thing coming at me in a cannel (where a 12' hammerhead shark was recently caught) - there was no way out. Turned out to be a school of about 10-lb tarpon. While "hiding" in a cluster of seaweed, I got to watch this 50+ school of fish swim by .... the scared flashed by - after about an hour. ;-)
A floatilla of roasetta spoonbills passing by as a southern summerset .....
Clear white egrets on a full moon, flying to roost - dark night, while clearly illuminated.
A brilliant
el dorado in an emerald sea, on-rod - caught, or not.
Brookies rising at a high-altitude lake enough to call it The Porpoise Show. We caught these fish to no end & while my lab Spook was swimming not 10 feet away sometimes.
A close whisper from My Wife, the view from my own window, the recollections of things I have beheld,
Backpacking the Everglades through Yosemite, skippering boats out of Islamarada (east & west), hunting The West & The East - I have seen some things.
Yep. Yes Sir!
Thank you, God!
I've seen a thing or two & cannot thank You enough.
What a wonderful world we have - to see, to hold & to cherish.
& what a hoot to be able to get out there & play.
Yip-pee!