“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

~ Albert Einstein

It was this oneness with nature and marvelling at its beauty that caused four hours to slip away.

It was a perfect winter day, a balmy -5C, sunny azure sky that had me itching to enjoy my backyard. Thanks to Lorne, a member of Cranbrook hiking club, a winter hike was arranged to meander along the Wildhorse river near Fort Steele, BC.

There were six of us as we began following Lorne along the riverbank of the Wildhorse river.

Along the riverbank were tracks of deer, elk, rabbit, eagle, crow and smaller tracks of the rodents living along the bank.

It was hard to believe that the fallen log where we ate lunch was actually an island that is surrounded by water at other times of the year and is only accessed when the river is frozen and can be walked across.

It was amazing to walk across the ice and hear the water gurgling underneath. Would the ice hold?? Is this what a step of faith is? The patterns in the ice and the ice crystal flower gardens created sparkling diamonds and iridescent colours when catching the light of the sun.

Enjoy nature and its beauty through the picture essay.

This was bliss.