Shades of Darkness

I walked into the woods yesterday well before sunrise. I made it to the stand of oaks I wanted to hunt by 7am, almost an hour before sunrise. The skies were clear and the moon was large and bright in the western sky. I made my way by flashlight, then sat in the dark as I awaited the sunrise. As I sat there, I was in awe of nature and the splendid beauty of a morning in the woods.
(Photo Credit: Carol Weeks)

At first, my eyes were still accustomed to the bright blue-white light of the led MagLight. The dark was endless at first. Every rustle of a fallen leaf caused me to glance nervously. My eyes gradually adjusted to the night and I was rewarded with a spectacular landscape.

The moonlight filtered through the trees, now partially bare. Even though the timber and fallen leaves are in full fall color now, the landscape was colored in shades of blue-grey and black. The trees were but a ghostly silhouette against the starry sky and brightly glowing moon. The reflection of the moon glittered in the creek to my right.

At first, I could only see a few patches of ground where the moon shone through the partially bare canopy. As it neared sunrise, the sky gradually lightened until the shadows of the moon were gone. The whole forest floor was dimly in view now, but only in shades of grey. It was 7:21, first legal hunting light.

The creatures of the forest were waking up, and some were going to bed. To the east of me, I could hear the rustling of leaves as a deer cautiously made its way down the draw and up the other side. A short time later, I heard some movement in the leaves behind me and up the hillside a little. I was sitting comfortably with my back to a large maple tree, looking down onto the floor of the draw and with a perfect view of the opposite side of the draw. I turned my head to the right and sat motionless, waiting. I expected to see a doe walk by right next to me.

Instead, I heard claws scratching against the bark of the tree. I couldn't help but think about what might happen if the raccoon realised that I was sitting under its den tree. I tried not to think of how I could pry an angry 18 pound ball of fur, claws, and teeth from my face while running screaming through the forest. Instead, I imagined the mischievous little critters of The Great Outdoors. I held back a chuckle at the thought of what they really do put in hot dogs.

The raccoon finally settled into a hollow midway up the trunk of the tree and my attention turned again to the hunt. The sky was slowly, imperceptibly getting lighter. I could see the first hints of color among the leaves. The forest floor was a subdued mixture of yellow, orange, and brown. The sky to the east was glowing orange with the approaching sunrise.

The first rays of sunlight made their way through the forest before the sun rose above the horizon. First the leaves at the top of the canopy, then the upper trunks of the trees shone with warm orange light. The forest would soon be glowing in its full autumn splendor among the first minutes of the day. It was then that I made out the first movements of a squirrel climbing down from his nest in a tall oak tree.

There is no greater way to spend the morning.