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November 13, 2006 ~ Winter Woods
Monday.
Winter is here. Yesterday it was raining here in the valley, but the mountains, even the low ones, were covered in white frost. And when Grove and I went on our hike today, despite the sweat between my shoulder blades, the shift was obvious. These were winter woods in winter light. The sun touched fallen leaves and trees not with gold but with a harsh, bleak white. All of the leaves were down except on the occasional oak (oaks always hold their leaves the longest, sometimes lasting well into winter). The woods had become winter-grey, broken only by the rusty brown of the leaves covering the ground and the dark green of hemlocks, pines, rhododendron and mountain laurel.
Such contrast between the dense wilderness of summer and the open woods of winter in the deciduous forests of the Southern Appalachians. In summer it would take momentous effort to go cross-country even a short distance, the underbrush is so thick. But in winter, all dies back, the leaves fall, and suddenly you can see panoramic views of the mountains. Light comes down to the forest floor, which saw very little light in summer through the leaves. Moss and lichens, woodgrain and fallen treasures, all unnoticeable in the summer, become illuminated. In winter, it is true that the woods lose their obvious beauty of wildflowers and lush foliage. But in winter, the beauty of these woods is in the details.
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