Here are my thoughts on a few hikes I took around the holidays this year.
You would think no one goes hiking in winter. It is mostly a summer activity, where droves of folks hit the trails while the sun shines. I don’t know that a great many people brave the great outdoors at all after the temperature drops below 40 degrees. And even then, there is probably some great natural wonder rewarding their endurance. Yet when I hit the trail in the rain a few weeks ago, the ice had frozen over a fair number foot prints, as if a crowd (including dogs, deer and a few other animals) had walked in front of me minutes before.
On this particular Saturday, I was bundled up in many layers, with my trusty Under Armor and waterproof hiking boots on. The temperature was between 30 and 40 degrees and the rain had been sheeting down since before dawn. There was a cold dampness in the air - the cold felt like water, like I was swimming through it as it surrounded me. I remember I even had to carry an umbrella to keep from getting soaked, and that I had to watch the trail to avoid slipping on the water covered ice. Every tiny creek I passed was unnaturally swollen – we’ve had several floods and heavy rains all this year (2009).
It amazed me that so much water could fall from sky without melting the ice and snow from earlier in the week, but the cold that the ground collected each night must allow the landscape I have below.
I walked down the trail along the water, adding my footprints to the deer tracks that seem to cover the whole woods. I tried to capture with my camera the precise grey of the lake reflecting the rain-filled sky.
The downpour showed no signs of abating as I walked. I noticed that the rain, with no leaves to patter off of, was running straight down the tree trunks in interesting, vertical rivers.
I must admit that I cut short my hike on this particular weekend. After getting thoroughly soaked and chilled while attempting to take pictures with my umbrella closed, I called it a day and returned to my vehicle. However, I was lucky enough to return one week minus a day later – weather conditions had not changed much, but the rain had stopped.
A sizable snow fall had visited us on Dec. 31st. Temperature on this weekend was closer to freezing, but without wind and rain falling, it seemed much warmer than my last visit. The lack of flooded streams to cross allowed me to proceed farther down the trail.
In the fresh powder, the trails were still a bit slippery, but I always feel the snow cover makes the landscape especially beautiful.
As I commented to Aengus, my fearless companion and boyfriend of several years, it was pleasantly quiet in the woods that day. The snow makes everything seem soft and subdued under the grey roof of the sky.
I was fascinated by the shapes the ice had formed on the reservoir's surface.
This looks like an alien, right? I am a big fan of that movie.
The highpoint of every hike for me is viewing wildlife. On this trip, some ducks enjoy their own beach of ice.
I look forward to my next excursion in fair winter weather. I hope this posting made you feel like you were right out there in the cold with me. It has been very cold and/or rainy since New Year's Day. In liu of a sudden warm spell, I may work up some posts on hikes I took in warmer weather, just to pass the time this winter. That’s all for now – see you on the trail!
