Friday I was excited to go on a hike. Saturday rolled around and I was reluctant but I decided to go anyway. I went back and forth with my dad on what I should pack. He got me a bear banger and pepper spray. I packed some snacks and off I went.

It.

Was.

Beautiful.

Frozen water droplets on pine needles

Quiet.

Still.

Air bubbles under ice. When we pushed the ice down other bubbles would release from the lakebed and make bigger bubbles under the ice. Icy lake

Mushrooms.

Lichen.

Tough bark and roots.

Vibrant spongy moss.

Life.

Past and present.

The little things.

And the big.

Glacier fed.

Roots grounding trees reaching for the sky.

Trails on a frozen lake.

L tossed a chunk of ice onto the lake and it shattered and the ice fragments drifted across the surface.

It made this beautiful echoing trill.

It was almost like a wind chime or a lark.

The three of us stood there after all hearing it.

Each of us had thought it was a bird we had startled then came to realize it was the ice.

We tried it again standing still to listen to this simple and beautiful sound.

Silently thankful for the beauty in our backyard.

To be in this place.

On top of a mountain, in brisk stillness.

Bliss.