Day 297

 This new wrinkle related to the enjoyment of the land will be enjoyed once the flakes fly. While that is hopefully a few months away, it is good to be prepared. I am hoping to avoid seasonal hibernation this winter by utilizing the land all winter long during the brutal stretches of complete cloud cover and whipping winds. It may seem weird to be excited about the season most people desperately want to avoid, even to the point of some fellow Wisconsinites living somewhere else during the winter season. But with winter being unavoidable, I am going with the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach.

For years, I have had snowshoes. From learning and teaching about how Native Americams used them to traverse the winter wonderland centuries ago in my fourth grade curriculum, I have been enamored with them. I even worked with my school district to get a few class sets of snowshoes we can use on our school trail. Each member of my family has a pair of their own. Even though it sometimes takes longer to get the shoes on than the expected time of the walk, snowshoeing is still a memorable experience. However, as much as I love them, I seem to have rarely used them since we bought the farm. I am hoping that changes this winter.

Besides reconnecting with snowshoes, I hope to add and hopefully sustain a new activity to my winter routine.

Cross country skiing. 

With twenty acres of land to explore and recreate in, it makes sense to give cross country skiing a shot. It seems like a great exercise that connects you with the outside world in a way that is a bit more exciting than a snowshoe trek. If I am lucky, I will find someone who can lend me the required equipment to see how feasible this idea is and to see if this is an activity I hope to continue. I think the biggest hurdle will be getting started. As with most things, the first step is often the hardest one. Feel free to give me reminders to hit the trails (or small slopes) once the flakes start to fly.