Quiet Contemplation

by matt werbach

        There is an odd calm that falls over much of the Columbia Gorge in these early winter months. Later in the season we’ll all forget the hustle and bustle that summer brings, but for now the contrast in seasons is clear. The river has calmed, kites and sails have been stored for a few months, the fishing boats are seldom seen. There are probably two ways to take this change: we could pine for the busy and dry summer months, or we can enjoy the quiet streets, trails and parks. To some extent, I find great comfort in the change of seasons, and winter is no exception to that rule. We are lucky to have a little bit of everything both indoors and out. Why squander the next few months waiting for a summer that will surely sail by too fast.

Mount Hood has begun to pull the wintery white blanket over its brown craggy surface, though it can be hard to tell behind the early seasonal clouds. Those who ski and snowboard are like children a few weeks before the holidays, bouncing in their seats, making predictions for another successful season, collecting their friends together and blocking off weekend days to hit the slopes. Those who snowshoe or cross country ski will have to wait a bit longer for the freezing levels to fall, but they’re a more patient and contemplative breed anyway. Through much of November these people will hit the trails now long vacated by the summer crowds who flock from surrounding cities and states in warmer months.

Residents of the many communities that speckle both sides of the Columbia Gorge can finally get their favorite table at a local restaurant. They can spend a few more minutes haunting a nearby winery, talking with the sommelier and tasting the previous year’s bounty. Some will take advantage of the opportunity to stand a moment longer in front of a work of art they’ve been eyeing through a crowd the last couple months. There are fewer cars to clog the streets, and you won’t get bumped into while you walk with the one you love two-wide along the sidewalks. It seems that you can finally hear yourself think—a voice long muffled by bustling surroundings now sings out amid the quiet splendor.

While many of the sunny fall days October brings have been fogged over, there are still those moments—now seldom and farther between—when a drive along rt. 14 in Washington, or through the forests along the Historic Columbia River Highway in Oregon, can make for a perfect day. These times have to be savored now, knowing that there won’t be so many. To focus on how few there are, or to embrace the good ones, there is no dilemma for me. A hot cup of coffee in the cup holder, a camera in the glove box and a calming song on the stereo can make for as successful a Saturday as any this time of year. The yellow deciduous trees still explode forth from their dark green coniferous neighbors. The mountainsides are covered in colors and textures only visible for a few short weeks. Seeing Mount Adams or Mount Hood peek their white caps above this colorful foreground can take your breath away.

Still others—the romantics perhaps—will find the most pleasure under a blanket in front of the fire. There is often nothing more comforting and enjoyable than the simple pleasures derived from a good read and a warm drink on a tranquil winter afternoon. I am reminded of the way my coffee mug steams the window next to me as I devour a new novel. At those times the nearly frozen world beyond seems so far, though just a quarter inch of glass away.

There is no doubt that come February it will be time for winter to end, just as there is no doubt that it will drag on just a bit too long. Why look so far ahead? There is enough to enjoy now—enough that can’t be done any other time of the year—that I can’t see the point in wasting these days, these hours. The seasonal cycle we’re so lucky to have here in the Columbia Gorge is not a treadmill meant to be cranked up or slowed down—it can not be controlled. It is an ebb and flow as constant and timeless as the river that divides us. As each season comes it invites us to enjoy the opportunities it affords while relieving us from the wariness the last has left us with. Now is the winter of our contentment. Quiet streets, calm shores, a little time to hear yourself think. 

Posted on Sunday, November 1st, 2009.

2 Responses to “Quiet Contemplation”

1. Lynne Netschke says:
   

   Thank you for the breath of fresh air, it was very refreshing.

2. Kathy Franz says:
   

   Makes me want to curl up in front of a fire with a book and a glass of wine. Wonderful writing!

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