Morning at Chittning Pond

This morning I awoke to the honk of geese, the twitter of birds, and Dad saying, “time to get up….we’re burning daylight.”  It was five forty-five.

I blinked open my eyes and thought, “Damn it’s cold in here.”  I was toasty warm under my down sleeping quilt that had been snugged up around my neck with a drawstring, and my head was covered under my fleece stocking cap.  I did not want to get up and face the chilly morning of our campsite on the banks of Chittning Pond in Sangerfield, NY.

Regardless of what I wanted, it was time to wake up and face whatever the day had in store.

Mist on the water as the sun peeks over the mountain on Chittning Pond.

I grabbed my frigid shoes, slipped my formerly warm feet into the icy togs, and unzipped the tent flap.  I noticed that the character talking about burning daylight was still tightly wrapped in his own sleeping quilt.  No movement out into the cold for him quite yet.

Nevertheless, I stepped out into the morning and was greeted with a glorious sunrise.  Mist had risen over the water, and the sun was just beginning to peek over the hills to the east.  I tucked my head back inot the tent to grab my camera knowing that I wouldn’t be able to capture the moment in the way that it really made me feel.  It was one of those morning that you just had to experience.

The cool dampness of the air nipping at your cheeks while your breath added clouds of vapor to the mounting morning layer of fog.  The geese honking softly as they swam across the pond, and the birds twittering softly in the surrounding woods getting ready to greet the day.

I’m grateful the old man woke me up.  It was a great way to start the day.