Owl invasion

An unexpected incursion of Great Gray owls from Canada drew me northward for my full moon hike. I picked a park known for it's remoteness and headed out in late afternoon.

The owls are large and seem unafraid as I was able to shoot an endless number of photos of them. In one case I walked to within six feet and simply stood and held the owls gaze, quietly telling the owl the small secrets of my life.


My hike started in late afternoon and pink and gold light filtered through the barren trees as I walked westward. The hiking was easy for the first mile with heavy ankle deep snow then, with no warning, the character changed to calf deep snow covering another three inches of crunchy half melted and refrozen slush. At first I thought I would need to end my hike, but then found that by keeping my knees slightly bent and my toes angled forward I could push through the crust and pull my leg up cleanly without barking my shins or tripping.

I enjoyed the odd footing, reveling in the long pull of thigh and stomach muscles, a welcome feeling of strength after my sickness. My mind settled into observer state, no evaluating, no commenting, just seeing and appreciating.

The gold faded to orange, then darkened through blue to black. The frozen river at the base of the bluffs darkened and then brightened to an odd blue as the full moon rose higher in the sky.

A large TOCK came from the trees and in the bright moonlight I saw a turkey unlimber and with a rustling like an ancient umbrella he rolled forward off his roost, opening enormous wings just enough to work his way through the tangle of branches and then spreading full to glide out along the moonlit river. I watched him to the far treeline and then waited, one moment, two, till another umbrella rustled and a second turkey launched to follow the first.

My eyes again followed the giant bird across the river and suddenly I was overwhelmed with longing to share this moment, share all the beauty I had seen this night. I wanted TB by my side, wanted to feel the happiness spread through her soul as it had spread through mine.

Up in the heavens I found the star of my desire "Star, if there is a seed, even the smallest seed of desire for me in TB, please, let it grow. Clear all the falseness, all the irrelevant obstacles, let it grow unfettered...".

My voice echoed in the grove and high up a mist suddenly occluded the sky for a moment, then cleared. The star seemed hotter and brighter and I hoped that something might come of my wish. I silently appended a 'thank you' and starting marching again through the snow.

The miles passed and I started to fade. My legs tired, not able to lift as high and I started to stumble. I turned and found the going easier as I retraced my footsteps. The sky was dark and clear and Orion held my attention as I walked through moonlight turned pure white - the snow along the river glowed. Thoughts of TB colored everything and joy and peace held me on the long walk back to my car.