“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields,
that it kisses them so gently?
And then it covers them up snug,
you know,
with a white quilt;
and perhaps it says,
"Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”
Lewis Carroll
Goodrich Loomis Conservation Area was all covered up snug with a white quilt for this morning's Winter Solstice hike. It's been a couple of years since we last hiked there, so we packed both our icers and snowshoes just in case...
Icers won out. No need for snowshoes. There was a hard crust of snow over maybe 6" of fluffy white stuff.
There is always a good chance of seeing some really cool ice formations right at the start of Goodrich Loomis' trail system.
This looks like a modern quilt to me. Light and dark.
Most people hike short distances. That is clear on days like today. We planned to hike on the Beaver Trail which follows Cold Creek for 2 km, crosses a bridge and goes back on the other side of the creek. Nice fairly flat trail.
As we got into the woods, fewer and few people had hiked there ahead of us. Plodding became the word of the day. Ted walked ahead of me and I made sure that I stepped into his footsteps to make walking easier. The sun was peaking through the branches here and there with a nice warm light.
Many trees have fallen down in the past two years.
The first bridge over Cold Creek was in fine shape......
...... with beautiful views.....
...... in each direction.
Our sponsor of the day, the sound of falling water, followed us for much of the hike. There are many beaver dams along this creek. Each one had its own melodic sounds.
After plodding and trudging in the icy/fluffy snow for an hour, we were beginning to wonder if we'd missed the bridge? But, there were still pretty decent blazes like this green plastic diamond, so we continued on.
Wouldn't it be nice if there was a sign at the beginning of the trail letting hikers know that 2 km later a bridge will be impassable? Nothing left but to follow our own tracks back to the parking lot. Sometimes plans don't work out.
Going back we saw beautiful icy baubles that we'd missed heading out. Nature is full of artistry, isn't it?
We even found a safe place to plunk the camera and set the timer so we could wish you a................
“In the midst of winter,
I found there was, within me,
an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy.
For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me,
within me, there’s something stronger –
something better, pushing right back.”
Albert Camus
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