fog

Mason Neck in the Mist /  by Todd Henson

Mason Neck in the mist

Today we’re looking at one more foggy scene from New Year’s Day, 2023. My father and I were hiking the trails of Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge and eventually we came across a small clearing in the trees that revealed this view of the wetlands. Occasionally a group of ducks would quietly fly by in the mist, almost unnoticeable.

The first photo expresses some of what I felt when seeing that scene. I was seeing the trees disappearing into the fog and the ducks flying past. It all had a quiet and peaceful feeling.

Taking a step back we can see a bit more of the scene. It may lose a little of that feeling I felt but it gives more context. We can more obviously see the impact of beavers in the area. They’ve dammed up some of the waterways and created lodges to live in.

A wider view of Mason Neck in the mist

Turning around you can see freshly chewed trees, evidence the beavers are still active.

Turning around we see evidence of recent beaver activity

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The Fog in My Head Every Morning /  by Todd Henson

In response to some of the recent foggy photos I’ve posted a friend asked me if I could photograph the fog in their head every morning. That resulted in what follows.

The Fog in My Head Every Morning

I awake and all around me the world is hidden in fog. I can almost make out little details close in but they quickly disappear into the white mist.

The fog in my head every morning

Walking Over Rocks Into a Foggy Unknown

I blink my eyes trying to bring life into focus. All I see up close is a small field of rocks blocking the way forward. Then water and ice. Then nothing.

Walking over rocks into the unknown

Shaking My Head

I close my eyes and shake my head to clear the haze. But when I look out at the world again it’s all a blur. Even so, I take a step forward.

Shaking my head

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Foggy Morning in the Forest /  by Todd Henson

A foggy New Year’s Day hike in 2023 at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge

A short while back I shared a series of photographs of the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in heavy fog on December 31st, 2022. Today I’m sharing a series of scenes from Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge in the fog on January 1st, 2023, though it’s not nearly as thick.

The soft light of sunrise through the fog

It had rained recently so the ground was a bit soggy, some areas more than others. There was a light fog that let you see the way ahead but slightly obscured the distant trees in a hazy mist. The sun was rising while we hiked and though we couldn’t directly see the sun it did light up the fog in that direction. A couple photos show this.

Foggy sunrise at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge

When we finally arrived at the observation platform the fog was far more visible, causing the distant wetlands to disappear. We couldn’t even make out the Potomac River. On a previous trip we’d seen tundra swans in the water beyond the tree, but this day the water level was too low, so the tundra swans were hidden out in the fog where the water was deep enough for them. We couldn’t see them but we could hear them.

Mason Neck wetlands in the fog

When we decided to head back I turned around and loved how the rising sun shone through the fog enough to light up the trees, which really set them off nicely against the darker wet leaves on the ground and the light mist in the distance. You can see a little blue in the sky as the fog slowly dissipated.

Sun-lit misty morning

All in all, it was a very pleasant first hike of the year. And as a side note, we weren’t the only ones wanting to spend the first morning of the year out in the woods. We ran across far more people on the trails than we were used to and when we returned to the parking area it was completely full, something I’d not seen before. I have very mixed emotions about things like that. I think it’s absolutely fantastic to see folks getting out and enjoying hiking in the woods. And yet I’ve never been comfortable in big crowds and I love hiking locations where we rarely run into anyone else, so I miss being able to do that. Thankfully, we returned a week or so later and things were back to normal.

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