Tag Archives: Snow & Ice
Winter walk in the woods
We got a bit of snow last night. It was absolutely beautiful the way it coated all the trees.
The great snow
A pretty big winter storm has been hitting the upper great lakes region this weekend.
As Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The Great Snow! How cheerful it is to hear of!”
– from Walden, Former Inhabitants and Winter Visitors.
Sunday snowstorm
After I was whining about a lack of winter weather earlier this month, it has been very wintry here over the past week or so. We’ve had a couple of snowstorms and typically cold temperatures.
This was the scene outside my door this morning.
Snow day!
Madison got socked in with snow today. About an hour into my work day, the “powers that be” decided to close the college because of the storm. I felt like a school kid who had the day off because of the snow.
Edgewood marsh hawks
While at work today, in the middle of a snow storm, my co-workers and I discovered two Northern Harriers (also known as Marsh Hawks) perched on a birch tree in front of the library.
December frost
When I woke up this morning the temperature in Madison was -5 degrees (F), the coldest so far this season. After I noticed the sunlight beautifully illuminating the frost on my bedroom window I couldn’t resist getting out my camera.
Winter beauty
Even though Spring is just days away, we’re still getting snow in Wisconsin. I woke up this morning to see everything wearing a beautiful coat of snow. Here’s a picture I took at work today of the snow covered woods behind the library. As proof that beauty is fleeting, the trees were bare again in just a few hours.
Good day for a hike
With a fresh blanket of snow on the ground and the sun shining, I thought it was a good day for a hike. So, I found the box my snowshoes were in (yes, I still have boxes to unpack) and headed over to Elver Park. The largest park in the city of Madison, Elver Park is only about two-thirds of a mile from my house and one of the reasons I chose to live where I do. While the wind was a little brisk today and the park full of sledders and cross country skiers, it was great being in the outdoors and hiking through nature again. Something I haven’t done for many months. There was even some solace to be found: watching the snow sparkle in the sun as the wind blew it off the pine tress I was hiking through.
When the wind on my face told me it was time to head home, I reluctantly did so, but not without feeling the charge of energy I get from being in the outdoors.
A winter hike
I’ve come to realize that being outside in nature is very important for me and my psyche. This fact really becomes apparent to me in the middle of winter (when I’m not outside as much as I am in warmer weather).
Thanks to a nice blanket of snow that fell over the past few days, I was able to strap on my snowshoes today and hike around the Wehr Nature Center near my house. I wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the winter conditions. There were people cross country skiing, sledding, snow boarding and tobogganing. You might wonder how a person can enjoy the beauty of nature around you with all those people around? That’s the great thing about having snowshoes.