Fresh Tracks

After two and a half weeks on the road, I finally made it to Reno. Settling into a new city took longer than I expected, and it was about six weeks before I found time to take my camera out. When I did, I headed to Galena Creek, tucked into the mountains just outside the city.

Fresh snow blanketed the trails, weighing down the pines and turning the wooden footbridges into soft white paths. Snowy peaks rose above the forest, and the creek wound quietly through the valley. A single pine cone rested on a bed of new snow, as if someone had placed it there just for me.

Standing in that stillness, it finally sank in that this wasn’t a visit anymore. The mountains I had admired from my friends’ place were now in my own backyard, and my new chapter had truly begun.