I skipped a lumber on Wednesday due to heavy rain on potentially still icy trails. I should have got on the magic Whoosh machine in the basement, but alas, I did not, ’cause fatty gotta fat.
Now, Thursday morning is here, and the temp has dropped from the low 50s to the mid-20s, and the wind is gusting up to 40 miles per hour. Oh, Michigan, so much to answer for.
The good news is that 99% of the snow and ice have melted on the trails, and while hiking as tall pines bend and creak above can be unsettling at times, it can also be mesmerizing to stand and watch.
When in the woods at ground level, you could barely feel the cold winds rushing through the trees, but on any exposed trail, it was a real slap in the face.
This was my first hike since maybe January that I completed without the aid of micro-spikes, snowshoes, or trekking poles. I was in no hurry, but I sort of felt like I was cheating as handfuls of minutes fell from my average mile times.
As I lumbered along looking for something to photograph, I swore to myself that I would not take any images of deer. Unit I saw a deer.
Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing and photographing the deer, but sometimes you gotta mix things up. In the end, who cares? Most of the deer will be heading to the farm fields as soon as spring planting starts, so I might as well fill my hard drive now.
With less than a mile to go, I saw some geese on the river, and one pair in particular cracked me up, as it looked like one goose was bitching out the other one for some reason. “Why did you bring us to THIS river? We could have gone anywhere in the country, and you brought us here. Are you even listening to me? GARY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING??? GET BACK HERE!!” (Yes, the goose is named Gary; Gary Goose).
I’m planning on getting out for some miles tomorrow, which should give me over 20 for the week. Then, I’m taking the weekend off from “Doing Stuff” to “Do Other Stuff” and heading to Pennsylvania for a couple days of dumpster filling at my dad’s house. That should be a physical and mental workout, for sure.
Later.
THE SOILED SOUNDS TRACK OF THE POST
In honor of the recent passing of David Johansen, I present one of my favorite New York Dolls songs, Human Being, from the 1974 album Too Much, Too Soon.
Photo Notes: GIF and dry trail pic are via iPhone.