Winter Solitude

I'm excited to share that I'm taking part in a Winter Photography Challenge hosted by 4 wonderful bloggers with a passion for taking beautiful pictures. Click HERE to get more info or click the swanky button at the bottom of my post.  This week's challenge is capturing solitude.

What do you think of when you think of the word solitude? The first thing that comes to my mind is being outside deep in a forest. Where you hear only footsteps, trees whispering in the wind, squirrels chattering and the song of birds. A place where you are alone with only your thoughts. A place where you are in awe and worship of what God has created.

I found this often in the mountains of Colorado. Since moving to Nebraska it's been particularly hard to capture and experience solitude. When I think back to my most recent memory of solitude at its finest; I remember a day last winter in Colorado when we hiked deep into the snow filled forest. The best hikes are when we encounter no other human trace and it's just us. It was the clearest of bluebird days and the snow was deeply refreshing. I can close my eyes and still remember what it felt like, I can feel it deep in my soul. It's hard to believe I was able to capture these memories and feelings of solitude so clearly. This was before my "fancy" camera. It just goes to show how gorgeous the scenery truly was, it would have been hard to take a bad picture.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

 He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

                                                                                                                   ~ Robert Frost