Photo Journal
24th October // Misty Morning
Llyn Gwynant // N53.0494 W-4.024
A missed alarm and a pressing agenda. I raced the morning light as it penetrated from behind the mountain tops, illuminating the clouds which hung in the valley. Warmth radiated, and with it my mood shifted in awe, capturing the light as it scattered through the mist and wrapped itself round everything it touched.
Leaving the valley behind I raced onwards to begin what would be todays mission. 30km in a loop, ticking off the last remnants of places untouched by my boot, and some familiar but treasured. Autumn has come rather quickly and without notice. There was catching up to do before the colours were gone and all to be remembered is cold.
Woodland is hard to come by though conifers persist. I’d been privy in finding an online directory of woodlands in the UK, noteworthy for their possibility to be considered temperate rainforests due to their local of being within a zone of substantial rainfall, and so the adventure consisted of these broadleaved woodlands.
Around the corner the low hanging mist continued into the next valley, hiding Llyn Gwynant. As the sun became visible the cloud retreated from the sides of the valley, dancing through the trees as it thinned.
From within the mist there was only silhouettes. Dead wood struck out from the ground and a thousand spider webs wrapped around the Gorse.
Beyond the mist was vegetation, some turned already and bare, whilst others still fresh like spring. A transitional state, reclamation of life into dirt as mushrooms sprouted the forest floor and harvested what it could. There is comfort in change, nothing is wasted.
The route took me to great vantage points overlooking the valleys, their sides covered in tree cover, reminiscent of a time long forgotten. Like one from a wild memory passed down but never believed of kings and faeries and magical things that played tricks in the light. It makes me long for a time where I do not have to search so hard to find a slice of wild.
As the excitement from the morning’s light faded, the aching reclaimed its hold in my mind. My walking was relentless, driven by my mission and soon I was walking deep under cloud cover longing for the light.
