Winter Delights

         It’s been a busy week, but I was able to get out twice since last Saturday, January 19th, to enjoy the snow accompanied with Winter Storm Harper. On Saturday, just as the storm was beginning to drop significant snow, I reveled in a 2 mile hike from Galbraith Gap to Three Bridges Trail and back in Tussey Mountain.

         It was magical, delightful, just flat out awesome to be out in it while the snow was coming down! Although it was late afternoon until I embarked, I thoroughly enjoyed the Wintery stroll through twilight and into the dark, loving the cold air and snow upon my face.

         It is tough sometimes, dependent on the timing of the storm, to get out and have fun in the snowfall itself given the snow removal work that I do. (Well, I enjoy that too to be honest! :-)) But I hope to embrace more moments such as this as Winter rolls on... 

         After a good 19.5 hours of solid work removing snow on Sunday the 20th, then salting in the -18 degree wind chills of Monday the 21st and a blissful rest that night, I found a Winter Wonderland of a trail on the Jean Aaron Path from Bear Meadows Natural Area on Tuesday January 22nd! Trudging my way across the frozen swamp and rhododendron thicket from parking to the trail, I found myself amidst towering Hemlocks beckoning with their snow draped cloaks.

         I exposed my first two sheets of film in 2019 and despite the onset of dusk, decided to meander the 1.4 mile out and back through a forest full of Evergreen eye candy while the stars of the Winter sky twinkled high above. 

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