October 24, 2026
Amber on the Spire
The marsh holds tight the damp and cold,
Until the morning burns it thin;
A furnace disc of smoky gold,
Where wilderness and dawn begin.
The tamarack and spruce stand still,
Sharp teeth against the rising fire;
As daylight rolls across the hill,
To crown the quiet timber spire.
No sudden blaze, no hurried sky—
Just amber breaking through the gloom,
To watch the valley vapors die,
And give the waking forest room.
Dawn over the boreal lowlands near Raquette Lake, captured as a heavy autumn inversion burned off through the spruce and tamarack crowns. The early sun was filtered down to a distinct, glowing orb by the rising bog mist, casting a uniform copper-amber warmth across the vapor while leaving the foreground timber in deep silhouette.
Field Notes: Bracketed capture on the Canon EOS R5, EF 100-400L II, merged to preserve the soft gradient of the diffused sun while holding clean edge detail along the evergreen canopy.