To say the last two weeks have been a little snowy for the Maryland region is a mild understatement. Here at my home in Carroll County, the yard is covered with no less than two feet of the white stuff. At my weekday residence, the streets in Old Town, Va are clean and dry. The park behind the apartment has a dusting of maybe 4 inches of snow. Driving back home on Saturday morning, I watched the snow deepen with each Northwest mile. I was going to get to play with my new toys, snowshoes.
I had really wanted to take the truck and run off to the West Virginia Mountains on Thursday towards the end of the last storm. But the grey yucky sky and falling rain was not very conducive for photographs. So, I joined a friend and drank a few beers over lunch in a local tavern. Today was perfect weather for a snow hike. The sun was out and the thermometer hovered in the thirties.
We all know the saying, “When life throws you lemons, make lemonade.” Well a got a new one, “When life dumps snow on you, break out the snowshoes.”
My hike was short and uneventful. I stepped beside the trail not to tear up the cross country skiers tracks. The snowshoes were not difficult to learn. I guess walking is walking no matter what’s on your feet.
Outside of the disturbed snow on the trail, the snow blanketing the Catoctin Forest sat undisturbed. Making my way through the forest, I worked up a sweat. I had to wear sunglasses to dim the sun reflecting off the snow. I stood and watched the cold clean water of a winter stream tickle the snow covered banks. The morning walk was not filled with some life changing epiphanies, or some new insight into the fate of mankind. It was simply a walk on snowshoes through the forest on a sunny morning, enjoying the fresh air and quiet of the winter woods. And sometimes that is all we need.
