Snow Walk

Got a chance to get out as the snow was falling Sunday.   Went up the Dog Paw Path from the Trail Barns.

Not a lot of people out on the trails, but you could see their tracks.

The walk thru the spruce trees was surprisingly quiet despite the location near Rt. 108.  Snow quiets everything.  The trees were frosted by the falling snow.

Walking down the RecPath it was good to see the improvements from yesterday's work party.  It's hard to believe that it was pushing 60 degrees yesterday.

It felt a little like The Shining in some spots.  Wonder what it'll look like in June when all the Mtn. Laurel are in bloom.

Left the RecPath and followed Oak Valley Trail.  Some crazy mountain bikers had been out with their silly wide fat tires in the snow along with all the hikers and dog walkers.  Interesting choice of tracks near the Sheep Pen crossing.  You could barely hear the cars on this side of the ridge.

Cranberry Bog looked good.  Lots of animal footprints in and out of the swamp.  This is one of the few times of the year when you can explore the swamp on the ice.  Don't fall in.

Walking along Rt. 108 you could hear more cars.  It's a narrow path between the road and the swamp, but it's interesting to see the different lines that the bikers and the walkers chose.  Crossed the powerlines then followed the blue/white trail back toward The Barns.  The stone walls were hi-lighted with a little snow along the way.   I'm always impressed about how much work went into building all these stone walls when these woods had been cleared for agricultural land.  It makes you stop and try to picture what it used to look like way back when.

Coming back into The Trails Barns as it was getting darker.  The snow was still falling and the wind was picking up but it was comfortable to see Hank the Hiker leading me back toward the parking lot and a warm car.  It was an nice hike, a lot slippery in the new falling snow, but well worth the effort.