Two Hydrogen, One Oxygen.....atoms, that is.
Big, splashy drops. Wet, cold, liquid drops. Each drop joining its brethren in a puddle along a forest road.
Drops saturating my jacket. Drops evaporating with every icy breath of wind across my neck. Drops that were momentarily part of a cloud, condensed, fell and found a home on the brim of my hat.
A sloshy slog through a cedar grove. A tramp along a muddy elk trail. A river brimming with all that is early spring. Snowmelt, freshet, runoff. Wind cast limbs. The breeze intensifies.
A sweat breaks beneath my woolen shirt. My boots merely suggest that water should remain on the outside of them. (It does not.. ) I go quickly about my work. Satisfied, I shoulder my pack, and hit the trail. I start to warm as my uphill pace quickens. The scenerio is repeated often today. Time goes by quickly, but my level of comfort hovers around "miserable" as the hours go by.
As I trek towards the car, the sounds of the forest are muffled beneath a goretex hood. My breath is visible as daylight quickly slips away.
Drip, drip, drip......
Big splashy drops. Wet cold, liquid drops. Each drop joining its brethren in a puddle on the garage floor. My waterlogged jacket hung from a hook, releasing it's captives.
Drip, drip drip...
Big splashy drops. Warm, Hot, liquid drops. Each drop joining its bretheren in the bottom of a steaming porcelain tub. I ease into the bath, a chill races up my spine. A fitting end to a cold spring day.