Winter Hike at Carver Park Reserve

Feeling good so I put on my boots and head for the woods. Sumac seeds give a little pop of deep red to the branches beside the trail.

(Photos and text about a hike I took in the woods on Solstice Day, December 21, 2016.)

The first thing I see on the trail is a freshly fallen oak leaf. A few leaves still cling to the oak trees beside the trail and I can see that they are still falling slowly as the winter progresses.

There have been other hikers and snow shoe-ers before me on this path and if I’m careful I can walk in their tracks instead of having to wade through almost knee-deep snow (life is like this trail — so many others have walked down the path before me and help me along the way). It’s rough going some of the time but mostly packed down and easy going.

Cedar trees beside the trail give a hint of soft green and intrigue me with their peeling bark.

With the bare trees the lake beside the trail is visible through the trees. In the summertime, it is hidden from view by the foliage of the trees.

Fallen tree trunks create interesting snow-covered shapes beside the trail.

I can see where someone took a detour off the beaten path. I wonder what they saw as they chose a path less traveled.

A large fallen tree leans against a standing tree creating a beautiful diagonal.

The woodlands are quiet except for the crunch of my boots in the snow. It is amazing how loud it sounds when there are no other sounds around me.

The shape of this piece of grass in the snow caught my eye. All alone it creates a picture of grace.

An opening in the trees beside the lake creates a beautiful vista.

Sunlight through the bare tree branches and piles of snow on evergreen branches.

The trail is long and I am starting to tire. I hear the crunch, crunch of my boots in the snow and wonder how much further it is to the end of the trail. I’ve shed my hat and gloves and unbuttoned my jacket and still I’m too warm.

In the winter sunlight everything casts blue shadows on the snow. I am tiring but still noticing the beauty all around me.

Ahhh! Home stretch — the trail turns into a cross-country ski trail and I need to be careful to walk along the edge. While it looked like it would be easier going it was actually the most difficult part of the hike. Easy to slip off the sloping side or sink into deeper snow.

Never happier to see the Lowry Nature Center. One and one-half miles of snow hiking wore me out physically but filled my soul with the beauty and grace of the woodlands (totally worth the effort).

May you walk in beauty.