Snowshoeing

Today was a beautiful day - sunny and about 38 degrees. We went to Beaver Lake Nature Center, just a ten minute drive from our home, to try out snowshoeing. For our first snowshoe outing, we decided to go on a guided hike.

We had a marvelous time! Much to James' surprise, my overall lack of coordination did not hamper me a bit and I adored tramping around the woods on snowshoes.

Here is Aidan getting his snowshoe legs:


We soon got the feel of the snowshoes and started on the hike:


In an open meadow, we took some time to snowshoe off a packed-down trail. Here I am telling Aidan to be careful as he goofed around:


He, of course, did not heed my warning and ended up in a heap at my feet:


James was doing his best Jacques the Trapper impersonation:


After about an hour and about a mile, I still had a smile on my face:


We did a bit more hiking on foot, and saw animal tracks on the surface of Beaver Lake:


Soon we saw one of the creatures who might have made those tracks:

Big change

It still amazes me to see snow everywhere when I look out the window, and to see icicles that are taller than me hanging from houses. Moving from north central Georgia to central New York in the winter is a HUGE change, for sure.

The biggest change is that I can't go anywhere fast. I forgot that is the case when living in a northern climate; in Georgia, I just grabbed my keys, purse and a light jacket most of the time, and scooted out of the house. Now I don boots, hat, gloves and a winter coat before I go anywhere, and keeping Aidan outfitted in hats and mittens has already proved contentious.

But change is good. We have already enjoyed sledding and tromping through the snowy woods at Beaver Lake Nature Center. We marvel at lakes that are frozen and even the almost frozen Seneca River. We admire the glitter that sunlight makes of the snow. We laugh at the neighbors' dogs as they romp and roll in the snow. We see people cross-country ski and snow shoe, and we look forward to trying those sports out for ourselves.

And we especially like seeing people in our village get around on foot. Snow and cold temps don't deter them; they bundle up appropriately and head "downtown" to do their errands. One day last week I went to the library, the post office, the dry cleaners and a drugstore, all on foot. It felt good to leave the car at home, get some exercise and get my errands done. I even walked to a local church to give blood on Friday afternoon!

So far in 2010, this change is good.