Thawing, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

This Saturday we went for a little hike in Lynn Canyon (which have become painfully touristic, fast becoming only another version of Capilano suspension bridge affair - it's only a question of when they will be charging us to cross the bridge!). Thankfully, the trees and the vegetation and melting snowtops take no notice of who is watching them and the show went on as far as their concern went...

New smells of spring grab my attention this year - especially balsam poplar buds. At least, that's what I think is what I'm smelling. Smells are never easy to describe, and especially not without reference to another smell they resemble (in this case: Sève Exquise). Or it could be the smell of cottonwood trees in bloom, which unlike the latter, was not discontinued. But I'll attempt to put these comparisons aside and try to describe it as it is.

The air of the forest surrounding Lynn Canyon was chilly from the moisture in the air and rushing river of freshly melted snow. But it smelled warm and balmy, graced by a fuzzy warm blanket of honeyed sweetness and wild flowers. It smelled so warm and sweet that it might as well have been the sole cause for the thawing snow capped mountains.