Most things living at altitude are sensitive. And I've always wondered how those able to withstand such a harsh climate, can be so susceptible to change. The trout, tundra, pika, and the krummholz -- blown bare on one side, they don't know what to do when the wind stops -- when there isn't anything to lean against anymore...even if that crutch wasn't anything but pain in the first place.
But then again, if you can still feel the wind, that means you're still alive...
There are tree in NC like that. Bent over one way from the wind always blowing. I always wondered how they can survive like that.
ReplyDeleteThat was us, this past weekend, up in the high country. Leaning into a cold wind the entire time...tossing our lines....it made the hot cocoa taste that much better, even though I was off plumb for most of the evening afterwards.
ReplyDeleteKrummholz. Bonsai from the gods. Nice one e.
ReplyDeleteNice post. Great pics. That fish is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLife clings tenuously, and successfully, in the oddest of places - evidence of its courage and resiliency. A good lesson to remember for those times when the winds are howling through our lives as well. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteBring on the wind. Do your worst. Do your worst.
ReplyDeleteI have oftern wondered while walking through the woods in the winter how the tiny kinglet or the small mountain stream brookie lasts through the winter months of cold and wind that seem to cut through me like a knife. Thanks fro the thought provoking post.
ReplyDeleteKev - They are truly amazing in their hardiness...makes me feel like a wimp, in contrast!
ReplyDeleteColorado Angler - Nothing better than coming down off a trail and picking up a hot cocoa or coffee for the drive home. :)
G Lech - It was absolutely breathtaking...possibly the most beautiful fish I caught all year.
Mike - You got it. Exactly.
ReplyDeleteJay - I am trying (and you make me able to)...
Kiwi - Incredible, isn't it! I always marvel at these things too.
This reminds me of driving west out of Fargo, into the sweeping plains of North Dakota. Every once in a while you will notice a lone tree hanging out in the middle of the native grassland. It's like if by fate that one tree was meant to be there, despite the cruelness of its surroundings.
ReplyDelete...on another note, I'm still amazed how the darkness of the water is matched perfectly on the backs of those Cutthroat...incredible creatures.
jz - sounds like a Count of Monte Christo inspired statement. bhive
ReplyDeleteThe hard times have shaped the tree into a piece of art. I wonder if hard times would do the same to us? Or do we just get twisted out of shape?
ReplyDeleteSanders - Thanks, as always...and I guess I hope I'll always be amazed by everything that is in you comment. The plains, lone trees, and trout. :)
ReplyDeletePhillip - I hope for the former, fear the latter. Well put, my friend!
bhive - it does, doesn't it...
ReplyDeleteLife will always find a way Erin even in the most unlikely of places.
ReplyDelete... and the wind's going to get a whole lot stronger on this planet, Erin. Resistance to it's pull and push is a useful trait.
ReplyDeleteTom - That sounds very Tolkein-esque. I love that it did! :)
ReplyDeleteAndy - I fear so...and I am trying to learn to live with it...
Interestingly deep thoughts. I always maintained the same thing with pain: as long as you can feel pain, you're still alive and that's (likely) better than the alternative. Still, I hate the wind and pain. And while we're at it I also hate the rain.
ReplyDeleteKirk - That thing you "maintain" is at the heart of my thoughts here....perceptive you are...
ReplyDeleteWonderful photo. And nice thought. The wind--and pain--certainly let us know we're still alive. But so does a beautiful cutt like that, and the place it lives, and how we got there, etc.... Thanks, as usual.
ReplyDeleteThat must be one hard wind Erin. Great pic though.
ReplyDeleteNever been a fan of the wind, alive or not, always pulling barbed hooks out of my ears and neck ;-)
That is so true.... as long as you still can feel the wind, your still alive. May you always feel the wind.
ReplyDeleteNice thoughts e.m.b.
Jim - Many thanks...and the beauty, along with the pain, surely do let us know, and make us feel...alive.
ReplyDeleteChris - I agree....I hate the wind...but somehow my hat has (thus far) always saved me from hooks!
Brk Trt - "May you always feel the wind." That's a blessing...thank you.
I remember being absolutely fascinated by the trees in the highest parts of the mountains of Colorado. Bent over, growing almost parallel with the ground. It's beautiful up there. I miss it.
ReplyDeleteRed - They are like gigantic bonsai trees...absolutely fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI hate the wind of central Washington. I love the wind of central Washington.
ReplyDeleteMr P. - I hate the wind, period, when I'm fishing. When I'm tucked into my home and the canyon winds are blowing, I just pretend I'm in a boat at sea and then it all seems fun.
ReplyDeleteThose are 2 amazing pictures! The dichotomy of fragility and sturdiness up there is really mind blowing. Good thought!
ReplyDeletebackcountryfishnerd - Thanks! And I think the dichotomy will always blow my mind...tis why, I think, I go back again, and again...
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