Skip to main content

Forest Moments

Our time spent in the forest feels endless and surreal.

As soon as we step into the woods magical things happen, breathing slows down, feet follow a path that wanders slowly forward, heart rate evens out. There no stress in the forest, no worries, no real world, that's all left behind.

The green scent of freshness and growing things will never be accurately captured in a can, and it mists around our bodies while moss springs back from underneath each step.


Mossy green colored funnel shaped lichen in the woods from www.ruralmag.com



Cedar branches languidly wave as we pass by, cones crunch underfoot, fronds quiver, and branches twinge, while mud sucks at our feet.

The forest alternates between absolute breath holding stillness with a strong sense of danger and raucous celebratory bird song as soon as they determine we're no threat.

The outside world feels far off, smothered sounds echoing around the large ragged trunks and the foliage canopy overhead funnels light into small glowing circles on the path.


soft green toned lichen in the woods from www.ruralmag.com



A male ring-necked pheasant bursts from it's hiding place and my hearts reacts with adrenaline coursing through veins in a flight or fight split second moment that is over as soon as it's frantic screeches echo off down the path.

The bird fumbles through the dense underbrush hoping to draw us away from its mate's nest on the edge of the forest wall.


Birchbark on downed tree from www.ruralmag.com



Crows and Ravens in the branches above continue to mock each other over imagined territorial boundaries, even though the Eagles hold the highest court and make the final decision.

We stop and spend a moment looking up at the sky under the spread wingtips of the hawks who are soaring overhead on a warm current of air, searching open spots in the field for mice.

There's a moment of "if we could stay here forever" disregarding both the pleasures and obligations of real life, living in a period of time that cannot possibly last as long as we want it to...


Feet standing next to a fallen birch tree from www.ruralmag.com



We exit the woods coated in forest feelings, the scent of cedar clinging to our hair, quiet in our heart and mind and looking forward to our next hike.

Jen @ Rural

Have you visited @ruralmusings account on Instagram yet? That's where I share even more of the Okanagan's beauty, it's filled with images of fields, forests, and flowers. Drop by and say hello soon.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Syrupy Summer Light

Shrouded in smoke from the forest fires the garden was still calm without a breeze. Sitting so quietly and waiting like the rest of us for the  hope of a cooler summer day.  It was one of those remarkable temperate days that stuck in your summer memory, brought out during winters chill when you could no longer feel your fingertips...full of lush green growth, and generously spreading warmth....the rare one that seem to come only as the bookends of summer.  Hot syrupy light was poured over everything that night... the kind that is so worth venturing out into the hot night for..the light...it laughed as it swirled among the petals, and wound through the stems of the flowers....glowing amongst soft leaves and glittering off of hard reflective surfaces. The heat radiating outwards, earth smelling of the scorched fabric...like an old-fashioned ironing board. Last week the hummingbirds were all over the Bee Balm, now it's out of fas...

Spring Unfurling

Spring's the master of the reveal, unboxing the season, an expert at creating anticipation, and eagerness in our hearts. Inch by inch the spring thaw releases the grasp of the gritty snow, first from the roads, then the edges of the gardens. Unfurling beauty and forgotten treasures that have remained hidden during the winter season. "Every year one day comes, when, although there is no obvious change in the appearance of trees and hedges, the Earth seems to breathe and it is spring." Elizabeth Clarke It stops you in your tracks... makes you gaze skyward, and to run your eyes down the matted bark of a once bare tree to marvel that what was a slow turning and has now rushed headlong into the full season. Spring beginnings are painted with a muted color palette, the soft greys, and browns of faded frosted foliage, twisted barren branches stark in the sky, but the full throated songs of the birds as they sing in the early morning are not faded. Their tweets a...

Midlife Mountaineers

Each footstep brings us closer to the top of the steep hill, our breath frosty as it gusts out of aching lungs, muscles demanding to stop, but we push forward.... The energy of the dogs who are eagerly leading the way as we edge up the slippery path helps to keep us going. "Break" one of us calls out for a moments rest, and we gratefully stop to recover our breath....Oh.... Thank.....Goood....ness...someone manages to huff out... To read more from this post please click on the image below..... https://spark.adobe.com/page/QaLnI7cO65k2e/ Thanks for visiting Rural's blog, it would be great if you'd leave a comment and say hello. Jen @ Rural