Blizzard Forest Walk

Living in Bethel, Connecticut for the last year or so offered several chances to experience nature from various angles. Just today, I had the opportunity to explore my backyard forest during a blizzard.

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

Walking through about one foot of snow,  the wind in the trees sounded like a large ocean liner passing by. Branches squeaked and squealed, and occasionally, a tree fell with a loud crack. Later, the snow turned into ice, mixing its sound, generated by thousands of ice crystals, into the ongoing fortissimo of the forest blizzard symphony.

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – No sounds, very peaceful, looking into an endless forest, March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

The only signs of life were a small squirrel, as well as a variety of animal tracks.

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – Many others seem to travel this highway – March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

This time, I used my Nikon 1 V3 with a variable wide-angle lens (Manual mode, f/9, 1/500 sec, 400 ISO). It is a mirrorless camera that is relatively small, offering reduced target size to the unforgiving elements.

Here are some photos describing a few hours of peace in a blizzard wonderland.

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, – On the top, somewhat obscured by snow is a boulder sometimes looking like a gigantic turtle. CT – March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – March 2017. Named this boulder Turtlehead Rock because it looks like a gigantic turtle head © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – It is hollow inside, and one can enter on one side and exit on the other – March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – The backside of Turtlehead Rock -It’s a great place to overlook parts of this forest – March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – A river, wind, or the sea must have carved out this passage many unthinkable years ago – March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – Lost in a beautiful forest – March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

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Blizzard Outing in Bethel, CT – I name this tree the Queen Tree, as it looks truly majestic with its branches reaching towards the sky in almost a spiraling way. It also seems that most forest pathways pass this tree.  I always had the impression that this tree was watching this section of the forest. Walking past it many times, it just felt like it. March 2017. © Hans Nagl – HansNagl.com

Blizzard Commute

Franklin Line T Commuter Train becoming visible through the heavy blizzard snow

Franklin Line T Commuter Train becoming visible through the heavy blizzard snow

Took these photos of the Franklin Line T commuter train while cross-country skiing through a nearby forest during the last blizzard. It was amazing to still see the trains in operation on this day despite the large amount of snow and ice. Sometimes I wonder what people inside might think or do when looking out of their windows into a swirling cloud of white snow inside this nicely heated train.

I am very glad that my camera equipment held up. Every time I venture out into such weather I am learning something new about how to best hide the camera and lens from the elements.

Franklin Line T Commuter Rail making its way through the heavy blizzard snow

Franklin Line T Commuter Rail making its way through the heavy blizzard snow

Franklin bound T Commuter Rail taking on the blizzard

Franklin bound T Commuter Rail taking on the blizzard

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