It’s November going on December and that’s when the blue winds come. We get them other times of the year too especially in late January when winter is at its strongest, but the first of them come about now.

Winter is beginning to find its foothold in the big mountains here in Colorado, especially up in Rocky Mountain National Park. Some snow has fallen up on the high country already, even falling down onto the foothills at the base of these high places, and it is starting to slowly cover the mountain tops. The highest ridges have snow building behind them and it doesn’t take much for the blue winds to start.

The winds race through the valleys and over the ridges, gathering force, quickly picking up speed and lifting and gathering the snow that hasn’t had a chance to tightly grip the stone it is resting on. When it does, the weaker winter light, which is close to being at its lowest angle now, shines through the misty snow clouds that form in a cold metallic way and turns everything nearby into a deep indigo blue.

These are the Blue Winds. It is a cold beauty to be sure and one that may take some getting used to. But every day is a miracle, even when it seems things can’t get any darker there is always something outside yourself to see and appreciate and take solace in. Even if it’s the cold dark beauty of the Blue Winds.