I Do Not Like Mondays

Sometimes the best time to experience something is when no one else wants to go, a good friend of mine told me recently. So there I was yesterday, walking along a trail in a state park — in some of the most frigid temperatures we’ve seen all winter.

It’d been somewhere in the 12 to 28 degrees F (-11 to -2 degrees C) range for about a week. I brought along my camera, thinking for some reason that there’d be something worthwhile to take a photo or video of.

Near the entrance of the trail, there were several kids with their parents playing on a frozen pond, but once I headed down the trail into the woods a bit, it was only me; I was the only one around. Snow covering the trail was so cold, it crunched pretty loudly as I walked along. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and there was generally just a pale, bluish light. It was cold.

Then, as I turned around and headed back, something happened.  

As I was filming, I passed this one spot along the frozen pond, and the sun broke through. The sky was all lit up an airy, clear blue. Sun rays streaked my way.

Suddenly, instead of the 17 degrees or so that it was, it felt like maybe 30, 40, even 50 degrees — felt beautiful. I basked in it, there on my own. I could still hear those kids off in the distance, but all was calm and serene where I was.

I left shortly thereafter. For a moment, it sure was lovely out there.

Tried to film what it looked and sounded like — check it out below.

Content © Aaron G. Marsh