Season’s greetings…

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Season’s greetings…
Season’s greetings…

…from a rock arête in the Canadian alpine. It’s a seed cone from a younger Whitebark Pine in its natural habitat.

I just love those days where the weather starts rough, but occasional breaks showcase nature’s raw power, with even more salience than a bluebird day.

New Year’s Eve 2024 up here wasn’t one of those.

It was horrible: through most of the day I could barely see. At one point, it got so bad I broke the shovel out of my avalanche gear to dig into the snowpack for shelter for nearly an hour while I waited it out. I couldn’t move.

Win some, lose some.

But the big wins need me to put in days like these. Or I can’t have them.

It wasn’t all a loss. I did catch this cell snap of the Whitebark seed cone, the tree impossibly springing out of an mess of talus on a high alpine arête. And the descent into and through the treeline was tolerable. I don’t often ski trees, but they help when the visibility’s poor. Otherwise, at times, I can’t know where I am. If it’s bad enough — and yesterday it was — I can’t even tell if I’m moving. The other side of "can't see the forest for the trees" type thing.

And, of course, once I’m down, I’ll happily stuff my face with as much of whatever I want. No guilt.

Ha!

(though I’m pretty sure I’d do that anyway)

All the best to you & yours this holiday season!

🎄🍗😊

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Taken on: December 24, 2024
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