For all the photos I share from this walk in beautiful light – this post from the start of this year springs to mind – there are also plenty of walks that look like this: grey, sullen, damp, dreich. And it’s easy to look at photos like these and feel that this place is a bit depressing. The fallen woodland of John Muir Country Park looks heavy in this light, in this weather. It feels heavy. And perhaps it begs the question, why share these images?
But there’s so much beauty and peace here, walking in the rain below those sullen skies, the damp crunch of pine needles and cones underfoot; always grateful for the clean air that feels so striking here some days. Spending so much time indoors now, either in the dried out air of central heating or with the warmth from the stove, the clarity of the air here is even more apparent.
And it’s the reality of this place now too. Pink-toned skies are magical, but so many everyday walks are in the rain or the gloom of winter, and those walks are just as important for gently calming and resetting the mind.
John Muir Country Park, December 2022.
