I have two friends from childhood that I spend a lot of time with outdoors. In the winter we are out as much as possible ice fishing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. Jim and Joe Lattie have a trapline that has been handed down through the generations. Although trapping is no longer viable we still enjoy the cabin and back country.
One day last year we were driving up the Salmon River Road that follows the Skeena River right to the Confluence of the Babine River. As we drove along through the snow this beautiful white bird flew adjacent to us and landed ahead in the snow. We slowed down and took a few pictures and it flew on ahead only to land and wait for us once more. As we were enjoying this remarkable event I heard Jim say, "there's huckleberry eyes", referring to the white grouse. When we got back from the trip I took a look at the photo of this bird and there barely visible in the snow was this white bird and what stood out were it's eyes and it's beak.
We were passing below a high ridge to the west that's called, "gun'dmudza"( my phonics spelling), in the Gitksan language. This name translates to english as, "the ridge where they hunt grouse with sticks" because they can get so close to them. We did not want to kill this beautiful bird for a meal but I knew that day that this would be the inspiration for my Winter Solstice 2011.