Smoke And Mirrors

Day 47: My journey today was unplanned, one of those spur-of-the-moment impulses so undeniable in those of us who love to explore. I had left home with a different goal in mind, but the call of a closed, snowy road marked only by the tracks of one pair of skis was more than my feet could resist. The snowshoes were in the closet at home, waiting for a greater depth of unbroken whiteness. With no specific destination on the roster, I felt I could endure the agonies of postholing until I was halfway. Halfway to what? Just halfway. You always only go in halfway. Then you turn around and come back.

As I stumbled along the ruts left by skis or tripped in elk and deer tracks, I began thinking about my secret waterfall. The distance there and back was appropriate to my clothing and lack of gear and there was a possibility it might provide some interesting ice structures as indeed it did.

There are two illusions in this image. The first is that it is a black and white photo. It is not. It was shot in full, living color. The second is that both fire and ice coexist in this special niche. In truth, the smoke in the background is splashing water, rendered into haze by a lengthy exposure. Smoke and mirrors...the camera is good at tricks!