White

The air has been clear the last few days, the clouds riding high, the early dawn* misleadingly warmed with orange light although the temperature is still below zero. From the highway, as I drove south to join the swan count Tuesday morning, the mountains of the mainland, usually a pale blue blur, stood tall, dazzling in their cloaks of new snow.

10 AM. From the parking lot at Salmon Point. I've been trying to identify these mountains on Google. Maybe the tall, pointed one might be Mt. Denman, 6532 ft (1991 m), going by the shape.

Update: It is Mt. Denman. Thanks, Paul!

Looking the other way, over Woodhus Slough, Mt. Washington.

Snow near roads gets grungy fast; even the logs bordering the parking lot were speckled with grey. But on the trail out to the slough, the ground was as white as the distant mountains.

Last fall's flowers.

Icy snow on a fence post.

Sky, rocks, logs, and our footprints. The trail was just more packed snow. 10:20. The clouds are settling down again, but there's still a hint of orange in the east.

The weather people are promising us two more days of cold weather, going down to 8 below zero (Celsius) this morning, before the rain comes back and the snow melts. Or turns to slush.

*Not really so early these days: sunrise this morning will be at 8:14.

A Skywatch post.