Fog & Ferry

Mellowing. Midweek, mid-month, midwinter mellowing. Lake Champlain is sloughing off her warm weather reserves, yielding to the chilly embrace of January. Unscarfed face feels frosty lakeside despite wind, currently 9-20 mph, blowing out of the west. A bit of a “wind shadow” near the boathouse, but not so from this vantage near Begg’s Point. Nevertheless this fog and ferry photo reminds me why enduring the windchill is worth it.

When the lake evaporates and the water vapor condenses, we experience this sort of evaporation fog often referred to as “sea smoke” (or, my preference, “lake smoke”).

Steam fog (aka sea smoke) happens when cold, wintery air collects over the lake’s moist heat sink. Such a huge, deep body of water holds plenty of residual heat from warmer months, cooling slowly as Autumn yields to winter. The wispy-but-opaque evaporation fog tells the story this morning: still warm-ish lake water overcome with cold winter air. Like a slow, visual sigh of acceptance. (Source: Lake Smoke)

The wispy-but-opaque “lake smoke” is less noticeable in the second photo, perhaps by chance, or perhaps because the shallower water closer to shore is cooler. Although these fog and ferry images are dramatic in their own right, it’s neat to spot Rosslyn’s boathouse, barely visible in the top image, just about to be eclipsed by the ferry and the lower photograph.

Fog & Ferry

The lake’s shedding her
warm weather reserves,
yielding to Janus
whose brumal embrace
wicks water vapor
into misty wisps
that dither, wither,
and then evanescence
as phantom ferry
passes pilings
drifting dockward.