where are lev and lodi when I need them?
they were always good for a snow filled night hike
we have years and years of night trail hiking memories

will phone tom and hutch one more time

either way...
contemplating taking roscoe and brutus out just the same

I think they could use it
actually
I think I could use it
actually
I know I need it
I still have not shed the tension of the day
red wine is not always the best cure for yension release
let me stand up and look outside

wet and cold=no
winter wonderland=yes

let me scope it out
putting on and taking off gear can get so old

it is a WINTER WONDERLAND.. so yes... we are headed out

back from my winter wonderland experince
both wooded and neighborhooded.....

the snow was not that wet but was real crunchy
the type of snow that one would see in a Benny Hill skit
the type of snow that makes a sound with each foot step
leaving a perfect foot print with each step... whether it be dog, cat, deer, bicycle, car, or man
man or beast could be identified and easily tracked in this snow

yes.... back
no... I still have not taken off my gear
will take all this gear off before I fall into bed....

the sight of the streetlamp out front my house drew me closer
staring out the front window from the inside was not enough
after greater concentration I realized that these moments are fleeting
grab them when they are here
just as a sailor needs to follow the wind
a hiker needs to follow the peak moments of each season
the changing multi colored leaves of fall
the natural flowers in bloom the trees budding green each spring
the hot sweaty humid mosquito filled afternoons of summer
and
the velvety snow covered leafless branches of winter

night hiking in the city is very different than rural winter night hiking
even with the cloud covered sky and the world filled with falling snow
visibility is still good
the city lights the clouds
and the reflection off the clouds light the city
the surface of the snow covered woods reflects back
everything is a light soft glow

the Petzl headlamp with its blue halogen glow was on my head, but for the most part was unneeded and went unused

had I had a camera and known something about long term exposures and large format film I would have been able to take some epic shots from various vantage points on my hike

my hike was short
never far from home
so I meandered to extend the duration
still never going far from home

my first objective was to check out my handiwork
where I had done rogue maintenance on a renegade trail earlier this day
Dean even helped out
at one point in our trail repair Dean complimented himself by saying...
"hey... I am getting pretty good at this..."
and he was!
every little bit help
just understanding that trails need repair and that someone needs to take action is "getting pretty good at this"
everyone could do to get at least a little better at this
the steps were good....
more natural than stairs
really too large for anyone to call stairs
even a giant like myself needs to take large deliberate steps
but it is a trail
not a sidewalk

I doubled back over my own footprints and headed over to the Rosemount Loop
a loop behind Dean's school, Rosemount Center
a building that is historic and beautiful
currently being renovated
hopefully will continue to be historic and beautiful

too bad I did not take those Ansel Adams-esque photos before they started the addition
but I still lack the know how and the equipment
(my Canon EOS film camera is so new age that it lacks a bulb setting, while my little Minolta digital camera lacks the flash capabilities to take any decent night shots)

change is not always better
well
even if change is better is some cases
it is not always better all around
there is something sad about renovations
all those memories being stripped away
the character
the history
the unspoken stories
stories that can easily be seen
stories that to some can easily be heard

then once out of the woods I realized that not too much time had passed... maybe not even a half an hour.... okay.. maybe a little more
so I kept to the streets
with the dogs on leash I took an alley route meandering through Mt Pleasant then looping back down Park Road
the sidewalks were well pounded by a wide variety of unidentifiable foot steps unlike the pristine trails
the roads were not plowed, yet they were far more clear than just a few random tire tracks... well other than the tire tracks that went wide fast and out of countrol causing then to hit the curb

not sure what this means..... but...
the city looks like a "village" when the snow is falling down
the hard edge is softened and everything becomes a little more simple a little more gentle
each house takes on a different feel, warmer, more cozy
trees lean with a fluffy white fur coat; leaning and hanging further than any wind has ever made them bend before
lawnless lawn are a blanket of white rather than a blanket of weeds
cracked concrete's imperfections go unnoticed
and
the street lights and porch lights add their orange, their white, their light pink glow adding to the gentleness of the atmosphere

okay
I Blogged enough
time for bed
no time to reread... just publish and post... never time for Spell Check
again
just like college... burning the midnight oil
glad that I got out and experienced this moment
tomorrow I will bring my little digital camera and take a few shots of this winter wonderland