Phrozen Phlox
We had a very light dusting of snow when I got up this morning. I took this shot while I was waiting for Beth to come out to the car. If you don’t know, that’s a close-up of some not-wild phlox we planted in front of our house.
It’s not enough snow as far as I’m concerned. I want a foot or more. I want to put on my snowshoes and go for a hike at night. Or during the day, it doesn’t matter too much. I just want to get out into the woods.
I suppose I could go for a night hike without the snow, but it’s a lot harder to do it then. With snow on the ground it’s easier to see things, so it’s almost like it’s not night. And with the sun setting just after 4:00pm now, night is really the only time I have available for hiking.
Our little snow dusting turned to rain later in the day, and when the sun set, that started to freeze. It’s not nasty out, but it’s not very nice either.
If I had a nice snow I know just where I would walk too. I’d head for Sandogardy Pond and look for animal tracks on the beach. Then I’d cross Little Kohas Creek and try to imagine where Little Kohas had a cabin there. I’d keep going until I got to the railroad tracks. Then I’d hike another half mile or so where there is a house that used to be a railroad station. I would bring my tripod and make a long exposure of that house from the vantage point of the tracks (it would be dark you know).
Penny could come with me, and she would find sticks for me to throw. She would also stand on my snowshoes every now and then, and maybe make me fall over. But she wouldn’t mind, as long as she could find a stick, and especially as long as I would throw it for her.
If I could figure out how to get to the road from there without trespassing or causing too much alarm, I’d walk from the railroad station to the Northfield Union Church and take a long-exposure shot of that as well. Depending on how tired I was after that, I might head to Beth’s geocache and see what it’s like when it’s dark there. Then I’d hike towards home along the trail.
But for now, I will hike on the treadmill in the basement. And I will wait for snow.
December 21, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Oh I would come with you.TonTon would like Penny! No snow here either! c
December 21, 2011 at 10:17 pm
You and TonTon would be welcome to come along. Deep snow with me in snowshoes is the only terrain upon which I can outlast Penny. She does have enough collie sense to walk in my tracks when she can, but she finds she simply cannot when I throw the stick out ahead of the broken trail. Then she is compelled to run out ahead of me to get that stick and bring it back again. And will I please throw it again?
December 22, 2011 at 1:30 am
I’m yearning for more show too, but luckily here I can get up to the snow level in a few places without too long a drive. I want to do that in the next week or so and get some snow under my show shoes again!
December 22, 2011 at 7:21 am
I imagine I could drive into the White Mountains and find some, but that doesn’t work too well as an after-work engagement. It would be more of an expedition.
December 22, 2011 at 7:49 am
Be careful what you wish for…Remember last December was relatively snowless too? And then in January it snowed 6 inches or more almost every other day and the temperature never got above 32 degrees to melt any of it? So the snow just kept piling up and up and up? I think I saw more snow in one place at one time than I ever have here. I’m ready for a “normal” winter, if I can remember what that is. Merry Christmas!
December 22, 2011 at 8:20 am
Yes, I remember that very well (and I rather enjoyed it!)
December 22, 2011 at 4:34 pm
I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it hadn’t been for having to shovel my roof twice a week. That kind of took the wind out of my sails.
December 22, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Maybe that’s the key. My roof is fairly steep, and I didn’t need to shovel it at all.
December 22, 2011 at 9:22 pm
We’re ready for snow here too…. only muddy tracks to explore. The kids are so ready to snowshoe and sled too. I think we’re already a few feet under our average seasonal snowfall! (:
December 22, 2011 at 10:08 pm
I may get my wish. We’re forecast to get 1.9 inches of snow tonight and into Saturday. Merry Christmas to me! More is better, but I’ll take what we get.