Thursday, December 24, 2015

Christmas Eve Snow Hiking

I was planning to go hiking this morning. Yesterday was a grey and rainy day but higher up in the mountains they got some snow. This was just a minor storm. On Friday night we're supposed to get some real cold weather and more snow. This is not at all unusual for us in December.

I was hoping that the trail that has become my favorite for my 'conditioning' type hikes, would still be snow covered and not all wet and slushy. The morning was grey too. I looked at the weather report on my phone and in the newspaper (yes we still use those here on the Eldership). They called for some snow this morning but just flurries. So I figured I'd go out any way.

I try to get out early. Most people during the winter don't show up until around 10 AM. I get out by at least 8:15 AM.  Even if it warms up later, the trail is still hard and not mushy then. I wasn't 20 minutes into my hike when it started to snow. It snowed all the way through but never really hard though there were a couple of times when I thought it might be prudent to turn around. But in actuality there was little accumulation...just enough to put a soft cover over everything. It was very quiet and peaceful. Snowing seems to deaden the sound. I didn't run into a soul until I was just about all the way back.

Wife and I have been doing lots of things to get ready for our departure from this plane. Sounds morbid doesn't it? But we see and we read about all kinds of people our age who are passing. We might have another 20 years or more. But we might only have 20 days or more. I find that focusing on the end actually makes you focus exceedingly intensely on what is happening right now...this very moment. Thus a day like today when I was out and enjoying the mountain and the peace and the snow and the ability to still be able to do this!

Have a wonderful holiday today and tomorrow and focus on experiencing and enjoying each moment of it.

1 comment:

Tee said...

I love the way the world feels while in midst of falling snow. Everything becomes so quiet and serene. Sounds like your hike provided beauty in more ways than one.

Considering recent events in my life, I completely get the idea of preparing for the end. I don't think it's morbid. I think it's what we're all supposed to be doing every day of our lives. We just tend to be so self absorbed that it takes us this long to figure that out!