Sunlight and Shadows

Shyla and I managed to pedal up to a high plateau before sunrise today. To the west, the mountains were softly lit with alpenglow.

To the east, we watched as one spot on the ridge brightened, and then the sparkle of the rising sun appeared barely peeking over the ridge.

The sun almost immediately warmed us and bathed us in a rosy glow.

The forest is a little spooky around sunrise, with patches of bright sun and patches of deep darkness dappled throughout it. I usually seek out the light.

But I love the interplay of the gorgeous sunlight and shadows. Huge boulders stand throughout our forest. When the sun has just risen, our shadows project onto them.

I love to watch the dancing shadows.

Usually, during these games of fetch, Shyla is focused on her toy and on me.

But, every now and then, she stares over my shoulder with an unmistakable intense look that gives me chills.

I cannot help but check whether some large animal is behind me when her eyes look like this. Today, she even stopped in her tracks to stare...

I looked behind me but saw nothing. However, I didn't forget her look. I wondered if she smelled an animal that wasn't in view.

Later in our snow bike ride, we passed a spot where I sometimes hike into the woods to check a trail camera. As I glanced toward my tracks sunken deep into the snow, I saw large paw prints that had followed exactly in my sunken footsteps. I also saw that Shyla was intensely interested in the scent of the tracks. I hadn't been planning to check that camera but my plans changed right then.

I'll tell you tomorrow about what I found. I doubt that Shyla was as surprised as she looked in this photo! She probably knew from the scent what animal had passed nearby. Sometimes I wish that I had the power of smell that a dog has!

Don't you love the look she gave me? She was surprised about something!