We live in the north. Our backyard gives away to nothing- just endless wilderness. This has been a real winter. Our daughter looks out this window, spots the snowblower and goes"geeeeer"; imitatating the only means of carving our way into town. 

The winters here are long.  We spend much of our time biding our time: streaming acoustic ensembles that make Jerry Douglas and Steve Earle cry, cooking food that folks pay fifty bucks a plate for.   Have you ever tried grilling a piece of chicken theigh at thirty below?  It takes a while bit It's all worth it.  We're just waiting to cash in on the next glorious wilderness mile that awaits us down our trail.  Why- because that next mile will most likely glide on by tomorrow.  Accessibility, just like possession, is everything. 

If you look close you can see the advancing lake ice working it's way west against the western winds.  

Despite its northern geography, Lake Superior rarely completely freezes over.   Yet the prolonged arctic weather that has characterized this winter has fostered the unrelenting advance of lake ice.  Prominent westerly winds leave the north shore of Minnesota the last to freeze. Stiff winds and a deep basin result in a longer period of time (and/or colder temperatures) it takes for the north shore of Minnesota to freeze.  Nonetheless this winter weather has prevailed to accomplish such a feat!

With a dying population of wolves on Isle Royale, the hope was that the lake ice could provide an opportunity for "mainland" wolves to cross the ice andix up the genetics of the current dewindling pack.  Unfortunately that road goes both ways. One of the last remaining fertile females was found dead on theainland after an apparently overwhelming crossing back.  

Digging into the "reserve" wood pile.  

By most indications this has been the coldest winter in 35 years.  My depleted wood supply coraborates that fact.  A few weeks ago (with temperatures thirty below) I packed a snowshoe trail up to my reserve stash of dried firewood.  Digging it out of four plus feet of snow took another hour or so but I finally got into into and was able to cut another few weeks worth of wood. I intend for this extra bit to supplement our supply in the upcoming spring.  

It has been a particularly bitter winter for the deer.  With five feet of snow in the woods and more nights twenty below zero or less for almost four months the herd has certainly been thinned.  At night they will bravely eat out of the bird feeder at our window. They are basically relegated to walking roads and snowmobile trails.  The snow banks along the driveway were taller than the deer above. 

A southern breeze blows.  Trail miles have been hard to come by. It has been a few days since the last snow and frigid temperatures have locked up the packed trails into an uneven and slippery surface.   Still the high spring-like sun is beginning to melt the southern facing roads!  

Lake effect snow quietly falls on the first day of February.  Thus far it has been a relatively harsh winter. Temperatures have barely breached zero on the last couple of months.  There is roughly four feet of snow in the woods. 

Still in the mornings we are greeted with the song of the black capped chickadee. The sky holds enough light to get out sledding or skiing after work.  There is no doubt a couple of months remaining before spring yet my mindset has clearly seemed to have turned a page.  For now we are embracing the cold and snow. 

Elongated sunlight persists through spruce forest as I glide down hill. Woodsmoke wafts fluidly amongst the conifers. Dismounting my skis I quietly end my journey in the same place I began: my front door.  Cheeks bright from the subzero end descent I gather the night's firewood supply of poplar and birch and duck into the warm, snug cabin. 

                            Flight 

Lesson Learned

One of my favorite times of the year is  midwinter when I can get home from work just in time to make a lap around our ski trail before it gets dark.  The middle of January is pushing it but a good headlamp with fresh batteries is all that is needed to make the final descent into the homestead at dusk. 

The first half of the trail is modest climb. On this particular day I was feeling strong and a bit overconfident. I had just returned from a backcountry ski trip and had been laying down a respectable number of trail miles all winter.  Either way you look at it I was plowing down this trail and clearly more focused on the trail one mile ahead than what was below my skis. 

I scurried up the initial ascent at an unprecedented pace. I kicked hard knowing that my next move was the first and one of the few technical sections. Carrying built inertia I leap into the steep hill with skis spread in order to dig the edges into the packed trail and provide the traction to defy gravity.  My overzealous herringbone was abruptly interrupted when my left ski caught a tree.  My legs stopped.  I was instantly starring straight down. My torso continued it's inevitable faceplant when a muted gray object in the trail caught my eye.  Woven with deer fur my mind quickly recognized it. My face was heading straight for wolf scat!  A shot of adrenalin miraculously relayed the unpleasant outcome to my hands just in time for me to catch myself. My face was mear inches from the steaming pile of poop.  I was close enough to smell the putred half digested deer kill. 

Shaking the snow off I pulled myself back together and laughed at the lesson I just learned:  overconfidence only leaves one faced with shit for outcomes!

My pace slowed and I finished the trail under a gorgeous bright full moon. 

January sun along the trail. 

Long, low angles of disappearing light. Prolonged cold air settles the trail to a glacier creep.  A stiff breeze rattles the naked hardwoods and leaves them clanging out the only sound I hear during this frozen foray through the backcountry. 

Symmetrical snow etches 

Basic Malfunction

Another sub zero day.  Wary of the vast cold Lake Superior; thousand foot freighters gingerly plow through the churning water within site of the shore.  Steam from the relatively warm water condensates into the air.  Winds funnels the vapor and whip it into tornadic steam spouts that twist their way across the frigid expanse of the largest lake in the world.  Simultaneously (and yet in complete contrast) this same vapor reflects the yellow, green and orange sunlight rays of sun dogs that dance across the frozen sky.  Today, much like most in the past month, the thermometer won't reach zero.  Tonight the temperature will plunge deep into the twenties below.  Wind will make the air feel like forty below- cold enough to freeze uncovered flesh in minutes.  Forecasts are predicting the coldest air in decades to hover over much of North America for the next week.  Wind chills will most likely reach a dangerous 60 below zero! 

Nothing wants to work in this weather.  As a result the homestead and it's inhabitants are in a state of basic malfunction.  The cold has frost heaved the patio up to the sill of the front door.  Every opening is a struggle to lift and push the door to an acceptable width in order to accommodate the poor soul and their baggage who is hoping for passage.  All this effort just to step into air that makes the vapor in your lungs instantly freeze and leave you coughing.  A slow leak in the truck tire has been exacerbated into a flat.  The old battery looses it's charge overnight.  The valve on the main shaft of the air compressor contracted into a substandard seal and it now simply blows air into the air.  Fortunately the snow blower putters to life.  A critical point due to the fact that we have already received as much snow as a typical winter!  Any water pipe that is less than perfectly insulated freezes nightly.  Worst of all: for some reason the well pump isn't getting power and thus leaves us without running water.  On top of that we are all sick with a respiratory virus and struggling to keep the wood stove stoked -not to mention clearing the driveway of the ten inches of snow that fell last night! 

It all goes to show that life is not always glamorous on the homestead.  With that said, however, there is nothing like hearing wolves howl under a northern light draped sky.  Or strapping on a pair of skis at your door, breaking an empty trail through some of the most beautiful, rugged, remote terrain in the lower 48.  The reality is that this has begun as a particularly brutal winter.  It's a winter that makes northerners "earn their stripes".  It reminds us how fortunate we are when we're healthy, have working equipment and a warm shower.  As difficult as these times can be they're essential...

 

A headland's fate

Perspective

Ripples marks form as the receding tide bears down on beach sands.  The ebbing water creates undulating wave flow marks. The resulting patterns form parallel with the coastline.  In the geologic record ripple marks are commonly found in sandstones deposited in coastal environments. However, one can only discern these while looking at an outcrop hat is exposed perpendicular to the features- opposite of their formation. 

Water flows from these saturated hills into the losing tide. Water that was short lived to be a storm cloud barely made its way off the ocean only to fall in the coast range.  This was as never destined to rush over the Rockies and be reinvigorated by southern air and fall as part of the two foot snowfall that is barreling down on the north woods as I type. 

At home I observe subtle changes on the property daily. From year to year patterns emerge. Patterns, much like the ripples under my feet, are only obvious if observed at the right perspective and a long enough time to become apparent. Sometimes changing your perspective is he only way to see.  It's important to travel away from your home surroundings to recalibrate your perspective.

 adventure to the Pacific Ocean, Oregon.