Nature's Beauty

Yesterday, I took a nice walk around a new area that had nice snowshoe trails.  It was a pleasant day, no navigating, no mountains, just a walk to enjoy nature.  I came across this and was pretty impressed.

Now, it is pretty cool.  I wondered what would cause this snow mass to melt in such a way.  Why did that little shape, in the center of some pack of snow, melt before the rest?

Then I realized, it was 41 degrees, with a forecast of slight rain and temperatures staying in that range; I would be the only human being to see this, ever.  It just makes me feel that much more enthralled with the way things are in nature.  So instead of analyzing it and wondering why and how, I just enjoyed it for a moment and moved on.  Maybe Mother Nature was expressing the same feelings for me that I have for her?  (I know that was weird).

Resolution - 2013

Happy New Year, three little words that seem to have so much meaning to so many people.  The expectation of change.  Why is it we use a specific day as "The Day"?  It is the day we "hope for a better year", we make our resolutions and our wishes for the future.  I think we all do it in some form, either out loud or in our heads.

I know I do, but silently.  When I was younger, I would say them aloud, I believe some were even written on a piece of paper as a reminder, lost in some drawer somewhere. Most were things like eating better, being nice to my sister or respecting my parents more. Some I kept for a short time, some I never started.  I can't remember any that I have kept forever (but I do respect my Mom and Dad, and I still try to be nice to my sister).

Being "social" is hard for me, I'm a pretty self-contained individual.  I've been working on that resolution for a while now, starting with joining social media like Facebook, connecting with family and friends.  Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not, but I guess that's what friends and family are for.  We have differences of opinion and we have discussions about those differences.  I do resolve to be a little better on that front, so if I make a misstep, sorry.

Other than trying to be better socially with friends and family, I really haven't made any New Year resolutions in a while.  If I think of something during the year, I usually try to start it right away.  Most of the time, these are nice, small adjustments that no one other than me knows or would recognize, so that's a good thing.  If it ends up something I don't really want to do, there's no judgement by anyone other than me.

So, this year, like many in the past and like many other people, I hope for peace and prosperity for all. I hope this year, more people will begin to recognize we are stewards of this earth, that we are part of the ecosystem, not the owners.  My continuing resolution is to assist in the efforts to bring this realization to others though social media outlets and discussions and maybe, just maybe, I will plant a seed in someone somewhere and grow that recognition by just one more person.

Last Hike of 2012

As the year was coming to a close, I felt the need for one last hike.  Last night I checked the weather and it looked like it would be in the low single digits early in the morning, so I was a little hesitant to climb.  With the recent snow and predicted wind, it would probably turn out to be a pretty cold day.  It's not that I would mind the cold or that I didn't have the proper clothing, I just wasn't sure I wanted to endure it.

When I checked the weather in the morning, it was a little warmer than expected, 9 degrees with wind chill near Wilmington and it looked like it might reach a nice 20 degrees early.  Since a mountain climb wasn't of interest, maybe a good snowshoe along an old snowmobile trail would work.  I decided on heading to Bonnie View Road and heading down the old trail toward Cooper Kiln Pond.  I know my last post also mentioned Cooper Kiln and I didn't make it to the pond itself because of a self-imposed detour, but this wasn't that type of day.  The trail from Bonnie View to the pond is 3.2 miles, too far for what I wanted today.  My goal was to hike for a few hours or a few miles, whichever came first, as long as I hit at least 2,000 feet in elevation.

I reached the trailhead fully hoping some rouge snowmobiler would have run the length of the trail, giving me an easy snowshoe and maybe the potential to exceed my goal and actually make the pond.  I was a little disappointed to see the only thing that had come along the trail was a sole skier that appeared to have passed through after the last storm.  They had left a crude pair of ruts not wide enough for a pair of snowshoes, but I could at least follow what was there.  I followed the ski tracks for about a quarter of a mile, but after that, the wind had blown them full of snow, so I was on my own.

The Trail Ahead

Shortly after, I came to a creek crossing.  Its always a little chancy, not knowing what is solid and what is not, but it's a small stream with absolutely no depth.  I sidestepped down the bank and gingerly stepped onto the snow covering the stream.  Seemed good. Next step - post hole into the shallow water, oops.  Pulling my snowshoe out, covered by snow, soaked in water, it quickly froze into a nice heavy weight.  A few strong stomps and the frozen clump fell off, which was good, I didn't feel like removing the snowshoe and having to chip it off.

Oops

Immediately following the stream, the trail begins a steady climb and started to have fairly deep drifts.  It wasn't too long before my coat was unzipped and my hat was in my hand.  This steady climb was to last a little over an hour.  No accidents, animals or other incidents, just a steady climb.  I do have a little trouble with hikes like these, no overlooks and no "peak", but the woods were beautiful.

After about an hour of climbing, I checked the elevation and was near the 2,000 mark. Checking the GPS topo for what was ahead, it looked like a steady downward hike, so it was back the way I came.  Fortunately, this hike I remembered to blow the water back into the bladder after taking a drink, so my water line didn't freeze.  Unfortunately, I had Larabar food bars for snacks, but once again, I froze them in my backpack.  I took one and put it into my pocket to thaw.

I had a nice easy hike down, but did have a shoe twist on a rigid snow drift, and ended up looking at the clouds.  I took advantage of the incident and lay there looking at the clouds streaming by and decided the fall was a positive thing.

The Trail Back

I did find this snow sculpture attached to a tree.  I'm not sure how the picture will show up, but it looked like a face, etched by the wind.  Well, kind of, if you look close.

Snow Man?

I also found this Pine Tree Snow Flower.

The Flower

Walking back, I realized the grayness of the day.  I had not seen an animal or bird, which was very unusual, especially not hearing the constant chatter of the little chickadee.  I was by no means lonely, but it seemed odd the mountain was so quiet.  I could tell from the sky there was the possibility of a little storm coming in, so maybe the rest of the woodland creatures were in for the day.

All in all, the most wonderful way to end the year.  Now to look forward to the first hike of 2013.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve, the fire is blazing and the tree lights lit
The gifts are all wrapped, no more to do, there's no doubt, this is it.
Tomorrow will come, all cold and white
Once we have had our long winter's night.
The day will begin with the sweet smell of pie
The roasting of ham and the sun in the sky.
The day won't be long, when the sun sets to the west
We'll all lay our heads for another night's rest.
My friends, please remember as you pass by the day
I hope the memories you make will never go away.

Welcome

Welcome to the new Just Saying blog.  If you would like to read old posts, please go to stevekelso.blogspot.com