October 19, 2026
The Sentinel in the Mist
The night refuses to let go,
Drifting in gray upon the peat;
A quiet world that moves too slow
For autumn’s coming cold defeat.
The sun is but a pale white eye
Caught in the shroud of early chill,
While water channels trace the sky
And hold the valley damp and still.
A bare gray spire keeps the ground,
Stripped clean of needle, cone, and crown;
The quietest watch that can be found
Before the frozen dark comes down.
Early morning mist hanging over an Adirondack wetland – Raquette Lake at Browns Tract inlet. As the low sunrise struggles to burn through the dawn vapor, the open channels of still water cut through the bog mat, reflecting the muted light. On the edge of the channel, a single bleached conifer snag stands vigil over the quiet, waiting marsh.
Field Notes: High-dynamic-range wide capture with the Canon R5, balancing the subtle highlight of the rising sun behind heavy fog against the deep, wet textures of the foreground sedge and water lilies.