A Heart of Green

despite finding beauty in the starkness of winter, nothing lifts me up quite like the vibrant green of a mossy forest

You will not hear many complaints from me about winter; I have learned to find beauty in the white landscape and snow-caked trees, to embrace the deep rest and hibernation that the rest of nature enters during these months.

But my heart will always come alive when surrounded by the deep green of a snowless forest. My inspiration will soar when surrounded by a forest draped in moss. My smiles come a little easier, my steps a little lighter.

I will always have a heart of green.

This year, the mountain winter has been mild and the ground is barely covered by sparse piles of snow — even in February. March can still bring feet of white fluff, so we will see what happens, but truth be told, I am ready for spring. I’m a little early this year to be feeling such a way.

But I am enormously lucky, to live where I do, for it takes a short 30-minute drive to leave the mountains for sea level, to find an eternally green forest to lift my spirits.

The sun remains low in the sky throughout the morning; just barely peeking through the forest trees over the ridgeline beyond. It is dark without the sun, but small pools of sunlight find their way to the forest floor, and beams filter through the trees in magnificent patterns.

I make my way up, up, up the hill and the sun shines brighter; lending a false warmth to the forest — for the air still bites as the breeze whispers through the woods. It is still February, after all.

Frost lingers in the patches of shade, evidence of the cold temperatures we’ve been receiving through the nights. Evidence that it is still winter, even if here in this bright and vibrant stretch of forest, it may not look it.

Patterns and sparkles fill my sight, and despite the cold, I linger in the shadows and shade. Plant life at home is buried, maybe not by much this year, but buried nonetheless. It’s refreshing to see the ferns and heather and leaves, despite the deadened and sleepy look that winter brings.

Eventually, the sun calls to me once again and I continue on. Back to moss-coated branches, its drips and drapes illuminated with sunlight — vibrant and ethereal, I have nicknamed this area the fairy forest for good reason. It’s impossible not to feel as if I’ve stepped into one of the fantasy worlds I read so much about.

As we near the end of another wandering adventure, the forest drips with melted frost and raindrops, the earth and trees steaming as the warmth of the sun seeps in and banishes the cold for the day ahead.

See you next time,

♡ Whitney

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Paid subscribers will soon begin receiving occasional short videos made from my forest wanders. Set to calming music or embracing the quiet sound of the woods, these videos will capture the non-static side of the forest. I am unsure how often I will put these together, I have not made videos in a little while and am out of practice. But I hope to have the first coming later this week. You can upgrade to a paid subscription below, if that’s something that interests you and you want to support my work.