Moon Light Tracking.

The forest under the gaze of the full moon is a beautiful sight. The snow glows with a blueish light and trees cast their shadows far out into the open spaces within the woods. 

I have never been able to resist the siren call of the full moon. It pulls at me as if I am tethered to it by invisible strings. 

It was minus 18 degrees Celsius the other night when I laced up my moccasins and entered the mystical world the moon had painted. There would be no need for artificial light on this hike. 

I only walked a short distance before I came across the trail of an Algonquin Wolf. The photographs in this video were taken hand-held and as such are some-what fuzzy.  

Consider yourself very lucky if you catch a glimpse of one of these intelligent mammals. I have had that very privilege several times in my life. They are very much like ghosts but they do leave tracks. 

I love to follow in the tracks of the wolf, for he has a lot to teach those that want to learn the ways of the woods. 

   

Sounds from a beaver lodge.

Beavers live in a tight knit family group. When the kits are born, they suckle from mom for a month or more before she weans them off her milk and introduces them to a diet of plants. 

They are very vocal, chattering and talking to each other all the time, day and night.  

I love sitting on the lodge just to listen to the chatter of the little ones and to interact with mom as she fixes the "roof" of the shelter. 

One day, I decided to record the little beaver people. I placed a microphone into the vent hole of the lodge and hoped I would capture the conversation.  

The sounds you hear in this short video are those of the little ones within the lodge. No bigger than the palm of your hand - they make up for it with the power of their calls. 

Hope you enjoy their voices. 

Why do I wander?

Rain hits the canvas cover of my lodge and drips from the smoke vent. I sit staring at the fire as it devours the wood I have placed into its embrace. 

The warmth of the flames infiltrates my clothes and warms my cold skin. I stare at the smoke as it rises and escapes through the open flaps to mingle with the rain. 

I ponder a question which is asked of me often. It is normally asked with innocence and a true desire to understand the answer. 

The problem is, I do not have an answer. This short video may help to provide some insight.

What is the question? 
Why do you leave this comfortable lodge to wander far out into the wilderness where comfort is but a memory?  

I take a walk to read the lessons left by those that live in the forest.

It is late November, almost one week after the end of the seasonal deer hunt. 

I wander out into the forest to check for the tracks of animals which have survived the hunt.  

The forest is like a good book, it draws you in and makes you want to turn the next page. 

As I wander, the tracks I leave in my wake become part of the forest. 

Those same tracks become words to the animals reading them. 

I become part of their story as they become part of mine.