Mist Walk

Friday, November 14, 2014

I slipped out of the office today to get a hike in on Spencer's Butte.  We've finally had some frost here in Eugene, and it seems to me like the woods take on their true character when there is a good chill in the air.  There was a heavy mist on the hill, and as I climbed up from the Martin Sreet trail head, I walked right into it.  In places, richly colored fallen leaves formed a solid layer on the path, making it look like a shining trail, leading up into the clouds.  The woods are more open now, because so many leaves have come down, so I can see deeper into the woods.

One little box canyon is particularly striking; at the head of the canyon, there's a tiny creek running down an almost vertical hillside.  Above, there is a heavy mist, and below, the creek pools with yellow and red maple leaves all around it.

At Fox Hollow Road, I decide to cross to road and climb some more.  It's been a busy week, and I just want to feel the burn, it is so cleansing.  The mist deepens as I climb, and soon I'm walking in a bubble of white.  At about 1200 feet, I pass the feezing level, and I find all the trees are coated in shining ice; firs, maples, oaks, madrone.  The low lying vine maple so prevalent here is also gilded: a tiny icicle hangs from each point on every leaf. When the sun lights them from behind, the whole hill sparkles.  A continuous shower of shattering ice pours down from above, and the woods echo with the sound of breaking branches.  Aside from that, it is silent here.

There's a lot of stuff coming down, making the hike a little bit hazardous, so I decide to turn around.  And when I do, the process reverses; from freezing to dripping, and from thick fog to a light mist that throws the colored light of sunset all around.

Tomorrow is a rest day, and Sunday I climb with Mike.