Snowshoeing

 When we got home from church today, we all had an urge to get out in the snow.  The temperature has warmed up so that it is not so bitter cold as it was last week.  So we loaded up the snowshoes and headed for our favorite place in the whole wide world.  We tried a trail that had been closed due to grizzlies one of the last times we'd tried to go on it.  This time, however, the bears were fast asleep in their dens. 

 It didn't take long before we fell into a pretty good rythm.  The kids are still quite a bit slower than we are, so we stopped here and there for breaks.  The snow was specatular!  It was plastered on the North sides of the trees.  New snow was bunching into big globs as it fell onto our heads and eyelashes.  The trail gained in elevation quite a bit, but our snowshoes made us feel safe from slipping.

Mr. Blueberry Eyes has outgrown his little boy snowshoes, so he opted for trudging along in his snowboots.  He did fine, but we are going to try to get him a real live pair of snowshoes soon. At one point, he rolled down a steep bank and lounged against the trunk of a tree while he ate snow.  While we waited for him to rest, a fluffy brown squirrel sauntered sleepily down the tree.  While we were oohing and aahhing, he vanished into the tree.  The opening of his little tree hotel was hidden to us, making it seem very magical.

 The coloring made it all feel mystical, which was a tonic to my bruised soul.  Thanksgiving was pretty rough for me and I needed a good day.  Its pretty hard to stay in a funk when you are surrounded by such incredible beauty.  I didn't want to quit, but the kids were getting tired after about a mile.  I asked The Wood Arstist to start back with them while I got in a few more minutes of soul-time.  The trail took off quite steeply then, so I followed it curiously.  There is something really exhilerating about being a woman alone in nature.  The feeling is hard to describe - empowering, quieting, refreshing... I had only a few minutes, so I wasn't all that alone, but I did promise to grab a friend and head out there again soon.  Next time, I'll go further. 

As we came out of the woods, there was a park ranger waiting for us to make sure we weren't hunters.  I guess our drenched hair and snowshoes were convincing.  We didn't even have to get to the part where we say we are vegetarians, so, of course, we're not hunters!  We had a good visit with him.  Rangers are really first-rate group of people.  He lives very close there and told us about two mountain lions that hang out there. Maybe I'll take pepper spray with me next time.

Tomorrow we head out to find THE perfect tree.  I'll keep you posted. - Nanette