Oops! I haven’t written anything in a while. Did you miss me?
Back in the fall, I was determined that the cold and snow and gray skies of the winter would NOT keep me from enjoying the outdoors. For having never lived in a snowy climate before, I think I succeeded!
As soon as there was enough snow on the ground, I strapped on my new snowshoes and hit the trails!
Okay, so that picture was taken in the front yard, but you get the idea. Walking with snowshoes is akin to what I imagine walking with clown shoes to be like. A bit cumbersome, but they get you where you’re going. They really do keep you from sinking deep into the snow.
I tried cross-country skiing, too! I’ve only been skiing once, and that was a long time ago, so I was a bit nervous about sliding around all over the place. To alleviate those fears, I took a lesson. It was great! I rented the gear for the day, and after the lesson hit the center’s (easy) trails for a bit.
I fell down a lot, and avoided any steep hills, but had a lot of fun. The center even had a ski lodge with hot cocoa and a roaring fire to relax beside. The next day, I discovered so many sore muscles I never even knew I had! I only managed to go that once, but definitely will try cross-country skiing again sometime.
I was 23 years old the first time I went sledding. I was visiting a friend in Maryland, and the sky opened up and dumped snow like there was no tomorrow. As we were walking to get coffee, we passed a steep hill crawling with kids sledding on it. Upon confession of my sledding-virginity, my friend quickly acquired a borrowed sled, and down the slippery slope I went! It was fast, a bit scary, and I got snow down my pants. This winter, I was convinced to try it again.
Here’s me, getting ready to go:
I think slow-speed sports are more my thing.
One afternoon after a heavy snowfall, I decided to try my hand at building a quinzhee in the backyard. A quinzhee is a winter shelter made by piling snow up into a hill and then digging out a cave. It was a lot of work!
Do you think I spent the night in it?
Now that the snow has melted and Spring is trying to show up, I’m on to more adventures! My GIS class went well, and the next one starts soon. A pair of bluebirds is eyeing the birdhouse closely, so hopefully there’ll be baby bluebirds soon! I’m planning a garden: spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, and herbs! Yum!
