Winter At Last!

March 2nd, 2009

Today I woke up to 6-8 inches of snow on the ground outside. After the requisite sidewalk shoveling and digging out my car, my wife and I managed to take a short hike in the woods along the Little Patuxent River near our house. I’ve posted similar snowy scenes of this trail in the past, but I wanted to share today’s batch.

Snowy River

So far this winter, we haven’t really had any significant snowfall, and with March upon us, I had already succumb to the fact that we would have to wait another year for snow. Fortunately, mother nature proved me wrong, and fully covered the trail and trees.

Snowy Forest

My wife and I slogged along in somewhat inadequate winter-wear, so our expedition wasn’t more than an hour long. Since the river is not right along the trail, I had to make some side trips to reach the water. More than once, snow had obscured rocks or holes, which I seemed to have a penchant for finding.

Snowy Leaf

I was none the worse for wear, however, and managed to get to the riverside in several spots. The water itself was crystal clear when looking down, but from an angle looked black against the snow.

Snowy River

While I definitely appreciate the beauty of the more open patches of water, I think I’m drawn more toward the spots where snow-covered limbs or large rocks protrude from the water.

Snowy River

Since the temperature stayed in the upper twenties/low thirties throughout much of the day, the snow was wet and clung to the tree branches, giving them a wonderful wintery outline.

Snowy River

As mentioned, our hike didn’t last long as our jeans were soaked with melted snow, and our faces stung by the wind. I’m very glad that we were graced with this snowfall, so that now I can unregrettably wish for Spring!



2 Responses to “Winter At Last!”

  1. Mark F. Says:

    Nice photos … and what a contrast to the weather here in Maryland this weekend! I went hiking on Sugar Loaf Mountain yesterday, and heard Spring peepers singing in the pond below. Did you have any visiting your garden pond?

    There – I figured you’ve waited long enough for a response to this post!

  2. guitarfish Says:

    Thanks Mark! I haven’t waited, I’ve just been very busy. 😉 I haven’t seen any birds at my pond, but it still has a nice layer of ice on top, although that’s rapidly thinning with the 70 degree weather this weekend!