Winter in the city of Lahore does not come as some spectacular play of snow and ice, but as some bland smoothing of life. It is time of pleasant coolness after hot long summer, time of misty mornings, cozy shawls and sweet smell of caramelized nuts sold by the street-vendors. To us nature, even in winter, is a gay, sociable enough thing, in such a place as Bagh-e-Jinnah. But then round all the globe the winter makes other ravishes that are out of this–converts those vast voluntary temples of nature into what they are elsewhere–solitary, majestic, and deeply sublime scenes of desolation. You can look into the soul of a national park by visiting in the winter so it is in slumber. The summer crowds have disappeared, the landscape is silenced under a carpet of snow and the world is left in its basic, breathtaking forms. To the bold-hearted touring member of the Pakistani community, who is up to taking the relevant steps of planning, such as getting a US visa, not to mention actually purchasing cold-weather clothing, and so on, a trip to the middle of an American National Park in the winter is a chance to witness a season in its most spectacular and breathtaking fashion, a moment of silent wonders that will resonate lifetimes.
We embarked on our winter expedition in what one can take as a summer road trip destination in itself, and the place that turns into an almost foreign territory with steam, ice, and quietness in winter, the Yellowstone National Park. The oldest national park in the world is bare of its brilliant green cloak and is instead covered with a dense blanket of snow showing its geothermal features even more spectacularly. The steam emitted by geysers such as the Old Faithful and the numerous hot springs and fumaroles in the frigid air forms huge puffer clouds which coat all the nearby trees in delicate suits of frost called hoar frost. It is not the same here in winter when the roar of summer traffic has been changed to the muffled dullness of the snow, with a geyser hissing, or a mud pot bubbling, or an elk bugling on the distance. The wildlife which is sometimes hard to detect in the summer stands out on the white canvas. Mighty herds of bison with their shaggy manes turned to ice, go round to the sulphurous-steamy geyser basins, steaming like the warm breath of their nostrils in the cold. You may get the chance to see a coyote trotting along a frozen lake, or even a herd of wolves going along some distant ridge. Driving the Yellowstone in the winter is an experience by itself, since road facilities are generally closed to the normal cars. The interior is mostly reached by specialized snowcoaches or snowmobiles and usually this is done on a guided tour. This restricted access means that this is a very intimate experience and you are only sharing it with just a few other people and you feel as though you have this wild, vast and dynamic landscape practically all to yourself.
Out of the wild, geothermal depths of Wyoming we move to the west of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California to a valley of granite deities clad in their winter finwear: The Yosemite National Park. Most of Yellowstone can not be driven into; but cars are allowed in Yosemite Valley in all seasons, and it is a more friendly place even in the winter. Most recognizable granite mountains El Capitan and Half Dome, which everyone has seen so many times in many photographs, in fact are transformed to achieve a new, grim seriousness, with snow covering its surface. Waterfalls do not reach thunderous spring proportions, but they are flowing and the spray of Yosemite Falls can freeze on the trees and rocks to form patterns of elaborate ice. Summer crowds have all been done with and it is now quieter than ever, and you can really notice the cathedral-like size of the valley. It is a great spot to make a go of snowshoeing first time. A snowshoe tour with a guide to one of the parks of giant sequoia, e.g., Merced Grove or Tuolumne Grove, is a magical tour. And once in a lifetime, to be in the presence of these enormous and old trees (the largest living things on earth) and have the snow falling gently all around you and realize that you are just as helpless and insignificant as you have always been is an instant of pure and humbling awe. It is possible to hike the valley floor trails that tend to be packed down and easily hike-able with good boots, or perhaps some even get some ice skating on an outdoor rink with Half Dome as the impossibly grand background. The daytime is shorter, and the sunsets are longer and more beautiful because alpine glow making the snow-covered granite peaks pink and orange.
A visit, however, to the winter parks of America is not, however, an account of snow and ice all the way. Southern California and Nevada deserts are the place to visit in winter, when it is rather not a season one can survive but the very best and warmest one. Death Valley National Park which was characterized by the hottest temperature recorded in the world is turned into an exploration paradise during winter. The life threatening, brutal scorching heat of the summer months, is replaced with soothing, tame day time temperatures, ideally suited to long distance hiking and sightseeing. There is no danger of heatstroke because you can stroll to the outer edges of the immense and unrealistic salt deposits of Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America. You may visit the yellow-orange canyons and climb to Zabriskie point to see a sunrise lighting the inhumanity badlands with colours. Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, too hot to walk in the summer, turns into a playground in a late afternoon hike and you can enjoy watching the long-elegant shadows extending across the sand as the sun goes down. And at night, when darkness comes the experience is soared up another notch. Winter skies and smooth dry air as well as the remote location of the park, far removing any city light pollution produce some of the most fantastic conditions of stargazing imaginable. The Milky Way sweeps through the sky in its utter clarity and it is impossible to imagine seeing it in a city that is light polluted such as Lahore. The winter visit of Death Valley presents a totally different type of peaceful beauty, of vast, open spaces, geological wonders and a tremendous sense of the heavens.
We end up in, maybe, the most recognisable American landscape–but one that few people ever dream of seeing in a layer of white. The South Rim during Grand Canyon of Arizona that is visited during winter is an opportunity to observe this great natural delight in its quietest and many will say its most beautiful conditions. A way winter storm blows by, and the upper rims and plateaus of the canyon are dusted with a snow magical layer. The aesthetic effect is awesome. The snow is pure white, which imparts a magnificent color contrasting against the dark reds, oranges, and purple layers of the rock. The low winter sun casts long, dramatic shadows that are continually changing reshaping the canyon, in a manner inaccessible to the flat high summer sun. The air is clean and clear with vistas that can extend more than a hundred miles. And best of all no more crowds. You are able to walk through the Rim Trail miles and miles without hearing anything but the wind whispering and a raven call. It is this isolation that makes a more introspective, a near mystical association with the immensity and geological magnificence of the canyon. It stops being a tourist sight and turns into the place of a great peace and meditation.
One cannot just get up and go to Pakistan because it is a challenging expedition that needs special preparation, especially equipment. The most important thing to warm and keep comfortable is wearing in layers. This includes a base layer that will wick away the moisture to keep your skin dry, a middle layer that is either fleece or down so as to insulate you and a third layer, the outer layer, should be one that is water- and wind-resistant. Boots are to be insulated and waterproof, and so are gloves which need to be warm, as well as a hat and a scarf which are not optional. To the individuals who need to venture into snowy areas, it is quite advisable that one rents a 4WD or an AWD that will help them in the event of slippery roads which may be very dangerous. And even though the parks themselves are closed, there are a few lodgings, and tours that keep on operating even in winter, and they fill up months prior to the time of visiting. Fewer hours of daylight also imply that you need to organize your day well to utilize daylight. It is this deep-thoughtful way to travel that makes winter journey very special. It is a preference to ask the gods of silence in the face of noise, the solitude in place of many, and the naked, bare beauty of nature in its stillest time. It is an adventure which will offer no easy pleasures of a summer holiday, but the proverbial and abiding satisfaction of having seen something really remarkable.
This first overview of the winter wonderlands of some of the most well-known parks in America is merely the tip of the iceberg in a much bigger world that is all about the silence, the seasonal beauty. Winter traveling is so appealing because it does not only involve witnessing the change in namesake locations, but also being able to see landscapes in their most fundamental form under the coldest weather. Having enough maps, and by practicing how to navigate within these tranquil landscapes, the adventurous tourist of Lahore can create a tour that is not necessarily about sightseeing, and turning into the vivid immersion into the quiet time in the lap of nature.
So, we are going to take a trip to the Pacific Northwest, to an area of legendary green and impressive coasts: Olympic National Park in Washington. Winter here is an atmo-spheric rather than a dry crisp cold mountain business, a green-grey-and-blue symphony. Olympic does not constitute just one park, it is three different ecosystems, and each has some distinct experience in winter. Hurricane ridge has deep snow and steep panoramas of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains where you can pass time snow shoeing or cross country skiing. However, within a very short drive, you can be standing on a wild, rough coastline, and crashing Pacific storm waves are in front of you thrashing against sea stacks at Rialto or Shi Shi Beach. Those beaches are usually deserted except by the sweeping eagles and the dark shadows of massive logs of drift. The most charming perhaps would be the temperate rainforest of the park known as Hoh Rainforest. Due to heavy coats of emerald green moss on the mammoth Sitka spruce and Western hemlock trees, the whole forest takes a timeworn, fairytale quality in soft, diffused light of a winter day. There is no better time to do a walk along the Hall of Mosses trail at the quiet of winter, when the mist hangs in the air and the dripping water can be heard all around, it is one most magical experiences that one can have and ever so contemplative.
We may go by air-plane or round about sea to the green wet world of the Pacific Northwest, where the Central Cascades lift up magnificent peaks like the Timepiece, coated over with snow, and the Big Timber like a cave of green. From this world of wetness, of green, we may fly or sail to the magnificent red rock country of Southern Utah to the Zion National Park. Although Zion is known as one of the busiest parks in the summer, using winter is a well-kept secret of ultimate beauty and solitude. The tyranny of summer heat and numbers and line-ups ebb away and during most of the winter visitors can drive the scenic Zion Canyon, a tourist privilege prohibited in the busy season when perhaps travel is by shuttle bus. The thing that is worth the come is experiencing the drive through yourself, through the canyon, with the ability to park in order to get the best view of sweeping sandstone climbs and cliffs, and seeing them at your own pace. A layer of new snow on the bright red and orange rock formations makes an incredible contrast picture that the photographer can only dream about. Although such strenuous hikes as The Narrows are in most cases off-limits because of the extremely cold water, much of the other and still fantastic trails in the park, such as the Paâpos Trail and the lower (and safer) part of the Emerald Pools Trail, remain open and present the absolutely stunning views of the canyon floor and the powerful Virgin River. The visit to this magnificent landscape without summer noise and queues is a great chance to feel its exaltation in much more personal and intimate way.
To get a whole new taste of winter, we can travel all the way to the upper northeastern part of the United States to the Acadia National Park, Maine. It is a combination of the unsmooth, fierce beauty of the North Atlantic that can be experienced in winter visits to this place. It is a bleak and intense mixture of snow-capped granite hills, ice-packed lakes and dark ice-cold ocean waters. Popular Park Loop Road to large measures is car-free, but evolves into a gleaming white plain of cross-country skiers and snow shoe which features miles upon miles of chastened paths with dramatic coastal scenery. You can hike to the tip of Cadillac Mountain and be present at the first US sunrise in the morning, or pass by the beach at Sand Beach to witness the dreamlike scene where the snow rounds out into the sea and produces a surreal and memorable scenery. This is more reflective, more genteel winter, an opportunity to experience the power of the ocean and the great silence of a New England winter and then the simple joy of warming oneself with a cup of chowder in the quaint little seaside town of Bar Harbor.
In order to survive in these different winter environments, one should not settle in simple preparation but he should get the mindset and ability of an experienced winter traveler. The chance to take photos of wildlife is the best aspect to visit a winter park by many. To achieve this properly, one should prepare. In cold weather batteries go like water; keep spare batteries fully charged, and keep them inside a pocket, where they get the benefit of body heat. Telephoto is mandatory, a long one so as to be able to capture frame filling distant animals, and without disturbing them in the process. You need also to know how to expose your snow photos properly. The automatic meter in a camera will frequently perceive the bright white of snow and under expose the exposure so that the snow is dark and grey. An easy tip to remember, purposely expose your picture one or two stops (the underexpose) to get your snow to be perfect white.
Other than photography, it is very important to understand winter safety especially by us living in Lahore who are used to mild winter seasons. Clothing layering principle is the most important, but it is important to realize the risks of hypothermia and frostbite. The most important lesson is to keep dry; the moisture carries away the body heat much quicker than the cold air. This implies that your undershirt needs to be a moisture-absorbent fabric such as wool or a synthetic fabric but never a cotton one. When it is very cold, it is advisable to cover the surface of the body that is exposed such as the ears, nose, cheeks and fingers. In addition, a person who is hiking or snowshoeing on a trail, even short distances, is expected to bring in the Ten Essentials. An on-the-trail checklist of experienced hikers covers the instruments of navigation (map, compass, and GPS device), a headlight with spare batteries, sunburn (the snow-reflected sunburn can be a real hazard), a first-aid kit, a knife or multi-tool, a fire-starter, a makeshift tent (such as a space blanket), supplementary food, water, and clothing. It is not planning to fail; it is making sure you have a way of being self sufficient in a possibly tough environment.
Such a degree of preparedness and regard to conditions breeds a stronger relation to the natural world, as well as is in line with the Scandinavian idea of friluftsliv (said free-loofts-liv), or open-air living. It is an ideology that cherishes outdoor life to keep people healthy both physically and spiritually irrespective of the season. It redefines winter not as an instant to spend in a secluded space and remain inactive, but as space to admire in silence and refresh activity. Such attitude alters the whole experience. Winter does not present an enemy, but part of the scene. This is not a disadvantage since the shorter days are the call to slow down, enjoy this beautiful late day light, and celebrate the deep comfort and companionship of getting back to a warm lodge or cabin at the end ofthe day, with a fire blazing in the hearth.
The trip to the deepest part of real winter is a moving and life-altering process of people who live in Pakistan. It is an experience of nature and cold intensity that completely falls out of our normal level of understanding. A snow-covered forest is the silence that is so intense that it is almost audible. The image of the landscape under ice and snow is the lesson of power and strength of nature. It makes you hate it, learn something new, and be rewarded with the feeling of achievement and outlook. After the visit you go back to the world full of color, noise, and warmth of Lahore having a much greater understanding and appreciation of the world you have visited and the one you live in. Your tales will be not of jammed-up tourist attractions, but the falling snow on a giant sequoia and the breath of the bison in the cold air and the wistful beauty of a desert canyon covered in white. This is what the winter traveller has in the way of compensation: he finds that in the season of repose of all nature, the world has to display to his view its greatest and tranquil and enduring beauty.
