I'm On Vacation

 

Less than twenty-four hours after a snowfall, and hardy people are already enjoying Hubbard Park.

Visit #1345, Saturday 8 January 22, 11:10AM-1:15PM, 4.6 miles, less than 1lb. of litter.

Temps in the 20's, very sunny with a light breeze.

As I arrived at Hubbard Park on Saturday I was approached by a friend and reader of this blog, who gave me a good-natured ribbing on "arriving late" to the park.

True; I usually prefer to start early in the morning, but momma didn't raise no dummy-it was COLD and I was waiting for more sane temps!

It was actually warmer than the thermometer displayed, and I wound up shedding layers while working up some heat from hiking.

While I came prepared for the snow, bringing snowshoes and crampons, talking with my friend I learned the trails were already heavily used and snow-packed, so snowshoes would likely not be needed. He was right.

Deep snow keeps the poseurs away so I won't have to worry about picking up lots of litter until the spring. Therefore you could say winter is my vacation time.

And on Saturday it was time to punch in on the Fun Clock.

I hiked up to the Halfway House at one point deviating from the trail. The sunlight was so bright reflecting off the snow that only by imitating my best Clint Eastwood cowboy squint could I see.

And yes, even I was surprised at the amount of trail usage so soon after Friday's snowfall.

Once I reached the Blue Trail, I took in the views, and the long descent to the north end of Merimere Reservoir.

The road around the reservoir had long stretches of ice, but I could stitch together enough dry spots to walk safely.

The primo sledding spot appears to be the water tank.

Remember those pieces of iron I found and brought all the way down from below Castle Craig, way back in mid-December? Those pieces of iron that I naively left at the water treatment plant, thinking the personnel would pick them up and dispose of them? Those pieces of iron that sat there week after week even though I put them directly in front of the gate to motivate a water department employee to get rid of them?

This week I thought for sure by now a worker would have picked them up and disposed of them properly.

Then I spied the lumps in the snow.

Apparently picking up this material must not be in their job description. They'd sooner just keep tossing it aside.

I'd sooner just keep tossing it back. This is week number 4. Let's see how long this back and forth continues...

I returned to the parking lot and, not having picked up any litter, I relieved my backpack of my snowshoes, and myself of the poles and crampons, and walked around the park to pick up any litter I could find. Just two bottles.