The Snow Continues

It thawed. The road thawed and the backroads thawed and the minivan said that it was finally time.

After weeks of me being unsure if the van would be able to handle the backroads and the ice, I relented and agreed to give it a go. When you are a family of six, there are only so many affordable vehicles that you can fit in. Sure we have a truck, sure we also have a Jeep, yes, we can not all fit in either of them. Such is the plight of a big family.

We decided to do a more local hike called Lake Alice. It’s an adorable hike in a retirement/assisted living community. You basically circle a nice lake and have the option of crossing back over the dam or exiting to a road to walk back to the parking lot.

The trail started with ice, mud, and snow but eventually ended in a sunny side. I can never express deeply enough how useful a trekking pole is in slick conditions. I will carry a pole without a pack if need be. Having the extra point(s) of contact makes all of the difference. Derek and I are at a point in our lives where we know we can make a jump, but also are fully aware of the fact that if we miscalculate, we are in danger. Extra backup with a pole is essential.

Black ice is not just a driving fear. We came across some ice and slippery mud on our trail. So while avoiding that, Derek also took the older kids to the lake to teach them about safe ice passage. They talked about color patterns, how to check for safe ice, how to walk in a group on it, and what to do if it started to go south. These are lessons I hope they never need to learn, but also lessons that I would hate to find out that they lacked in a moment of crisis.

The weather is warming again this week so we hope to be out again soon. It felt so good to touch moss again. It’s almost like a magical placebo affect, where if I just talk to a tree for a few minutes, I can refocus and ground all of the stress that the start of this year has brought to me.

Happy trails, go touch some snow covered moss, and we’ll see you out there!