Yesterday, I walked in the woods late in the evening. For me, this is real progress. In the past, I could easily get scared once the sky started to darken among the trees. It was a foggy day. One of those days when visibility drops significantly, something that happens often in the Okanagan Valley. Yet once I entered the forest, it felt as if much of the fog had been absorbed by the tall pine and spruce trees.

I was almost alone in the woods. I crossed paths with a couple of hikers who were heading out as I was heading in. The walk felt light and calming, but there was also a sweet kind of tension in it. The woods looked mysterious, and I felt a strange presence around me, as if something was watching over me from above the whole time.

I decided to go into the forest, even though it was getting dark

I was alone in this snowy forest.

On the way back, I lost the path and ended up somewhere unfamiliar. The trail signs were hard to see in the dark, and I admit I felt shivers run through me. Still, I told myself I would figure it out and eventually, I found my way out of the woods.

As I got out of the forest, the sky was already quite dark, and the fog was as thick as it had been before I entered. I heard a car stuck in the snow, with people trying to push it out. I didn’t stay long, but I hoped they would manage to get the car free.