12 Feb
Lost in a Snowy Wood
Yesterday I woke to the sound of my upstairs neighbor looking out his window and exclaiming “Look at all that snow!” That Husband was in a rush to get out the door for an early morning meeting (I had to go with him to keep the car since I had my midwife appointment that day) and so I threw on some snow attire, grabbed my camera stuff, and drove out into the madness with him intending to grab some photos in the snow before it all melted. Which it will, in like a day I’m sure.
These horses make up the largest equestrian sculpture in the world, which is something I’m sure I would appreciate a bit more if I was a bit more educated when it comes to art. I wasn’t the only one out-and-about in the freezing cold to take pictures though, while I was shooting from this angle an actual line formed behind me. A line!
On the way back from dropping TH off I decided to drop by the Elm Fork Nature Preserve. I’ve found that going for a long walk can be a bit more palatable when I have a camera in hand, and I had visited this particular spot before with That Husband. Beautiful no?
My favorite locations were those filled with patches of green.
Is it just me, or does this stump look like a crown that would belong to a fairy elf? I think the cold was getting to my brain by this point.
I took the self-portrait I put up yesterday right after I passed by this spot. I posed for something like 30 and…. one was in focus. That’s what happens when you like to shoot wide open!
And now we come to the reasoning behind this post’s title. As I was walking I realized that by my calculations I should have circled my way back to the entrance by this point, instead I arrived at a body of water. I walked forward on the trail and arrived at another body of water. I realized I was lost. And pregnant (I didn’t just realize that one though). In a snowstorm. In a forest. I tend to like going on adventures and being risky so it isn’t normal for me to freak out, but I was doing the potty dance and thoroughly freaking out by this point.
How did I make it out? iPhone to the rescue! I knew there was a reason we were shelling out exorbitant amounts of money for that guilty pleasure of mine. Visit this link and turn the viewing option to “satellite” and you’ll see a large patch of trees, that’s the preserve. The entrance is the tiny gray square of a parking lot on the left, where I thought I was headed. Instead my beloved iPhone revealed I was on the opposite end, standing at the edge of the large body of water on the far right. Scary to think how screwed I would have been without the gps and compass in my phone. I brought up the map, turned on the compass, and navigated the trails safely back to my car. I was grateful for the heat, and for the prospect of a bathroom in my near future. No yellow snow was made in this almost 2 hour adventure of mine if you can believe it.
Lessons learned:
- I love the snow
- I have no sense of direction
- Don’t go walking in the snowy forest without a trail guide or a compass
P.S.-Maternity shoot has been delayed a few days. I would have pranced in the snow for hours, but I know That Husband wouldn’t have enjoyed it, a friend who was going to second shoot cancelled, and my makeup/hair artist cancelled on me as well. Tuesday is the big day now!
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
L-O-V-E those horse sculpture shots!
Glad to hear you had your phone on you while walking about. I used to hike a lot and my rules were that I always brought a bottle of water, a granola bar, and once I got one a cell phone. I’ve never been lost but know how easy it is to get turned around when every thing is covered in snow. Having those 3 things are important just in case you fall and hurt yourself.
Ok PSA over!
1I love all the nature shots. The ones with the green patches reminds me to the onset of spring.
2I love the snow shots, especially some of the ones in the beginning. I live somewhere with snow from November to April, but it’s not my first home and my family always begs for “first snow” shots. You gave me some ideas for next year’s shoot - normally I just shove my camera out the window and take a picture of my car!
3Gorgeous shots! And, go ahead and laugh, but the first thing I thought when I saw your horse sculpture shots was, “Hey, those are on WALKER: Texas Ranger!”
4Can you tell me what lens you used? You did change lenses right?
5Love all the snow pictures!! Which I had done this in Houston…or even in Minnesota (though I’m sure I would’ve gotten lost and probably buried in snow).
6The snow is beautiful! I wish it would snow in Houston. Instead, it has been raining for days. I really hate walking to class in the cold and wet!
7As if I needed to add another reason to the list of why I want an iphone!! 147.) Lost in snowy woods and need to pee.
Great pics! Glad you got home okay
8You currently have more snow in Dallas than we have in Utah. CRAZY
9Before I even saw the pictures of the horses I knew exactly where they were. That’s what a summer internship in one of those buildings surrounding those horses will do to you. Except I never saw them look that pretty, normally I would just hope that the water would spray me while I was out there in the heat. Beautiful pictures.
10You got some amazing pictures! Your small amount of snow photographed a lot better than our…. 10-12 inches?!? Glad you had your iphone and made it safely out!
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