After a February that saw me lumber only around 70 miles, I went into March being cautiously optimistic. It couldn’t possibly get worse, could it?

Short answer: No.
Long answer: It had its moments.

Rather than dwell on the icy conditions at the start of the month, the time I fell on my ass on said ice, and my flirtations with having a (another) complete pyschological breakdown from the relentless, dark, wintry conditions that lasted from early December until early March, I will just say I rallied like a mo-fo and finished the month with 123.95 miles in my feet and averaged roughly 6.9 miles per hike. Which, for an old, fat, slack loser such as myself, is pretty OK. Maybe, I dunno. Is it? Probably not.

During today’s lumber, I got a photo of a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. And it ’twas the first ever photo/sighting I’ve ever had of a Y.B.S., And truthfully, it was so dark and grey in the woods I thought it was just a Downy Woodpecker. It’s technically not a great shot, but I was able to salvage something to honor the un-special occasion.

The woods were warm for March, the conditions were gloomy as fuck, and I was having NO luck with the critters other than the Sapsucker. So, at around mile 5, I stopped by Sal A. Mander’s log to see if he was awake yet, and it turns out he was! He wasn’t all that talkative or animated, but it was nice to see him again after the long winter. Thanks for the shots, Sal!

***

When I finished at Deerfield, I had around 6.5 miles on my feetz. BUT, since I completed my outdoor yard duties, laundry, and grocery shopping on Monday, I knew I had nowhere I had to be on Tuesday. So, I drove out the road to the Sylvan Nature Preserve to lumber another 1.5 miles or more in search of another sure sign of spring’s arrival in Michigan—Skunk Cabbage.

Bingo, found it!

I have nearly 14.5 miles in two days, and I hope to get out again tomorrow, of course, but if I wake up and say “screw it,” nothing is lost. I’ll still be the same unlovable fat slacker I was today.

Later.