RPG snow

Over the last 24 hours or so we've accumulated about 1.5 inches of snow in Swope Park. The snow isn't so bad, but the ice and sleet that it sits on is. I knew that I was in for an adventure when I gave into the temptation of a good hike this morning. The roads were still nasty and I must have been crazy to try to drive my little truck up the entrance road to the 'hill'. My wheels spun many more times than they would normally need to, but after a few minutes and several shots of adrenaline, I found myself parked infront of the glade. 'I wonder if I'll be able to get back down?' I thought upon entering the glade. The road down is much steeper and has many more blind curves.

The trails were smothered in many different tracks. It seemed that the majority of tracks were of dog, deer and rabbit- I found others though, from birds and mice to cats and things I could not identify. The sun shot through the woods before the glade and cast beautiful shadows on the ice. In many low spots that the sun was able to reach and where the leaves were still suspended by their twigs, the light acted as a back drop and the colors were intense in the icy world of black and white

I did not take many photos, as I was very satisfied with just being up there, but I got some nice ones. I had a bit of trouble with the temperature and stronger winds. Though the actual temperature was about 18 degrees F, The wind made it feel more like zero. My hands were stiff, and I hesitated to remove them from inside my jacket to take a photo.

THIS PHOTO IS INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE CANOPY WAS OPENED UP WE HAD THE BEST RESPONSE FROM THE PLANTS THAT WE WANT TO SEE UP THERE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE GROWTH HERE IS ALMOST ALL BUCK BRUSH, RAGWORT, OATS AND WOODLAND SUNFLOWER- WE WILL TRY TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OVER TIME.

I took the trip home slow. The expedition down the hill was exciting, but I did not get into too much trouble. The cold, dry wind and adrenaline had beat me and I felt pretty exhausted after the hike but the glades were beautiful and it was very worth the drive up there.

WATCH OUT FOR A FULL MOON TONIGHT- MARS TOO!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY !