The Calm AFTER the Storm

 

Oh, there was a righteously chilly breeze out there Sunday.

Visit #1342, Sunday 19 December 21, 8:00-10:15AM, 5.1 miles, 13.9 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 40's, cloudy but clearing after Saturday's rain.

Saturday's rain wasn't exactly a storm; just daylong intermittent showers with a raw wind, the kind that makes you want to stay inside and drink tea. I stayed inside but I didn't drink tea; I drank a Moxie, because I'm that kind of a guy.

Fortunately the rain was being pushed out early Sunday morning as I started my hike. You could see it in the clouds and feel it in the wind. For sure it was chilly to start but once in the woods I could shed a fleece layer and feel comfortable.

I hiked up to Castle Craig, where there's a small ravine to the right of the Castle at which I wanted to pick up litter.

While I was doing my thing, I saw two guys leaving the area, both carrying Dunkin' Donuts cups. I reasoned that if they walked from the park up to Castle Craig with their cups, there either wasn't much coffee left in them of if there was, it wasn't warm any more. I wondered whether they would carry their cups back to the park or if I'd find them discarded somewhere.

Guess which happened.

The time stamps on the cups fit the timeline of when I saw them at the Castle. Kinda sad.

Anyway, I cleaned up around Castle Craig then walked the road down and back to the park.

The sun was struggling to break through the clouds at Merimere Reservoir. Eventually today, it would succeed.

A second Christmas Tree has been decorated at Echo Point.

Reaching the water treatment plant, I see the iron I left there last week has not been removed by the water department since I witnessed them tossing it aside. It would surely take them much less effort to remove that iron that it took me to carry it down from below Castle Craig, so what's the problem?!

We're charging head first into the week before Christmas, it'll be all elbow and kneepads at the malls this week and the Amazon drivers will be breaking every traffic law on the books trying to get all those last minute packages delivered. Be careful out there!