PBW: Shu in Winter

Does anyone remember my visit to the Shu Swamp back in July? Now that Winter is upon us, I decided it was time for a return trip this past Saturday, with trees devoid of leaves, to see what I could see for the latest Photo Blog Wednesday:









After making my way through the trails to the wooden walkway, the hill off the trail leading up to train tracks beckoned me to climb, and take a shot of the bridge from on high. As I did so, I heard a train whistle behind me. I jumped down, whirled, and witnessed the train...



....coming....



....going...



...gone. It was pretty cold out, so I headed back to the parking lot. Off to the side, a lawn between the woods and the road was an amazing shade of green for this time of year.




The grass was in stark contrast to the barren branches, which offered a view far in to the distance. I decided I'd definitely have to come back when snow was on the ground.

* * *

I didn't have to wait very long. The next morning I looked outside and was surprised to see the first covering of snow this season. It wasn't long before I was braving the same trails, which offered a treacherous mix of slush and mud in some areas.





Red berries not noticed the day prior added spots of color, and hints of life. As I reached the footbridge, I thought about how cold it would be if I slipped and fell in the water.




Toward the middle of the lake, portions of the water had a thin sheet of ice forming already, broken in places.



The above is quite a different image of that arch than the one I took in the Summer, eh?



I wouldn't climb the same hill I had the day before, for obvious reasons.



Finally, continuing the theme of comparisons, not 24 hours earlier there was a lot more green in the above image. It's amazing how nature can take the same places and make them very, very different.