"The woods are lovely, dark and deep..." This Frost line always pops into my head when I look down my street. It comes to a T at a busy thoroughfare, but just beyond the streaming cars is a deep green stand of pines and spruces all laden with snow. The land once belonged to the Traverse City State Hospital and is now part of Grand Traverse Commons. A short walk from my door are two nice walking (or skiing or snowshoeing) loops through the woods. Historically, they were the segregated Women's and Men's Walks used by patients at the hospital.
It is, indeed, a lovely winter - and the snow is incredibly deep. Too many indoor projects have kept me from enjoying it fully, though. So, after another big snowfall last night, I declared today a Snow Day. First I strapped on my snowshoes and took Maisie exploring.
For a Dog of Much Energy, this is paradise. She leaps and bounds, sticks her nose into every hole, digs through the drifts, and tries her best to get me to trudge faster. A fresh and very fluffy layer of snow was doing all sorts of cool things: draping lace-like from branches, marshmallowing over trees and weeds, and avalanching down from the treetops with great whomps.
After trekking for a good while, we came back home, shoveled the driveway, filled the birdfeeder, and played some frisbee in the yard. Once we'd finally taken the edge off Maisie's energy, I was pretty tired too, but this was my chance to get on my skis. If Maisie hasn't already gotten plenty of exercise, I feel guilty for not taking her along, and I haven't figured out how to cross-country ski with her yet - which means I haven't been skiing as much as I'd like. So I mustered the energy to head back across the road for one more loop, this time gliding smoothly instead of tromping. The photos below are of Kids Creek, which meanders along the Women's Walk and apparently contains an overwintering flock of mallards. Which caused me to wonder as I skiied along: Don't their little duck bellies get cold in that freezing water? What ever happened to flying south for the winter?
2 comments:
How extraordinary that these scenes are a short walk from your house! Is there much of a difference between the men's and women's paths? Everyone knows that men can climb much steeper trails than women. (Not.)
The main difference I've noted is that the men's walk contains several firepits and some piles of beer cans, while the women's walk lacks such decor. :)
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