Hoarfrost in March

· by · in dVerse, poetry. ·

There are mornings
just before
sun has conquered the mist
when hoarfrost still
can stick to the twigs.

When the sound
of your skis
is the only answer
to night’s remaining silence,
when nothing has been said
on where
or when
we will sleep tonight,
we still know
it will be further on.

On our pilgrimage
every day is different,
yet very much the same
in our quest
meter by meter
planting the poles
striving north.

A morning during our ski trip going north.

As most of you know by now we completed a long journey on skis through the Swedish mountains and now having been home for almost a week I can start to reflect on the trek.

We travelled in total 1314 km (816 miles) in 54 days including 8 days where we rested (or where weather locked) . We slept 15 nights in tent without ever being cold. There are plenty of things to share, but when you break it down it was really just moving forward one day at the time.

I link up this poem to Open Link at dVerse today which is hosted by Lisa.

April 23, 2026

24 responses to “Hoarfrost in March”

  2. I’m the endurance it took was well matched by the rewards of this pilgrimage, Björn. They will be treasured for the future, and in future poems like this one which show the world and our part in it in a different light and hue.

  3. You were both so brave to complete such a long journey, Björn, and I admire your determination and resilience. It must have been cold but worth it, especially for the scenery, and the shared experience. The opening stanza sets the scene beautifully, and I love the sibilance to create the sound of skis in the second one.

  4. Bjorn, a beauty of a poem. Put this one in the special folder. The image is ethereal.

    Consider my mind officially boggled to regard you and your life partner so vividly demonstrating what you can accomplish by putting one foot in front of the other ❤

  5. I can hear the skis. I’ve lived in the mountains of Virginia for 40 years and have only seen hoarfrost once. Never in Massachusettes. I have some lineage in Sweden. Wishing I could go on Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates.

  8. Welcome back, you wish you were still skiing that northern track? “Pilgrimage” is a good choice, souls the adventure with deeper purposings I’m sure we’ll hear more about here ..

  9. For a little over 800 miles in about 2 months! It would have been great endurance in testing cold weather! Well done Bjorn!

    Hank

  11. Thank you for sharing a piece of your quest. It really is a quest connecting with a deeper reality (nature and self). I am sure you tested inner boundaries on your journey. So many internal questions to the sound of ski’s.

  12. I have been patiently waiting for this poem ~~~ it certainly did not disappoint. I cannot imagine the wonder of your journey. Cheers and Bravo, Bjorn.

  15. Thanks for sharing a piece of your journey. What a great photo you’ve included. I especially like the imagery of “When the sound of your skis is the only answer to night’s remaining silence,”

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