Footsteps

My sister’s current tag line for virtually all text messages is “I can’t wait ‘til SPRING!” I know; I know… We’ve been well-wintered this year and have the damp piles of snow pants in our laundry rooms to prove it. Over-sized mugs leave the dishwasher only to be refilled with steaming hot chocolate or cider. Sleds and shovels lean at-the-ready against a garage wall, never quite making it back into their storage spaces.

“Snow and Ice? Nice…” (Hocking Hills Region; Part One)

 

 "A Winter's Walk" (Hocking Hills Region; Part 2) [1:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

But, it’s pretty…

I’m reminded of the affectionate muttering I did when cleaning up disgusting baby messes… “It’s a good thing you’re so cute.”

Ahhh, Winter… It’s a good thing you’re so lovely.

Here are some more photos from last weekend’s trek through the Hocking Hills Region. Occasional slick spots were challenging on my surgically-enhanced ankle, but it was well worth the slipping and sliding.

It didn’t take my breath away so much as make me grateful to breathe in Winter so deeply.

Tags: Extremes, Hocking Hills State Park, Southeastern Ohio, Midwest, Caves, Hiking, Outdoor Adventures, USA, Ohio, "In-Town Tourist" by Heather
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Hibernation is not a real option for most mammals, although many attempt it in one form or another as a “winter dodge”. Cooking endless pots of chicken soup and making serious indentations in the TV sofa, many wait for the weatherman’s OK to venture out for much more than work and essential errands. “It’s not the cold; it’s the lack of daylight!” -a frozen variation on Ohio’s summertime conversation staple: “It’s not the heat; it’s the humidity!”

But if you huddle indoors to wait for spring, the chill still does its glacial creep up your front walkway… It seems more effective to simply add the extra layers of clothing and head outside to face winter’s blast (even if it does take an extra ten minutes by February because half the winter wear has been borrowed, lost, or is stylishly displayed on the front-yard snowman, and some of us still prefer the dignity of matched gloves).

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 "Snow and Ice? Nice... (Hocking Hills Region, Ohio)" [2:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Extremes, Hocking Hills State Park, Southeastern Ohio, Midwest, Caves, Kayak/Canoe, Outdoor Adventures, USA, Ohio, Hiking, "In-Town Tourist" by Heather
4 Comments »