I have been itching to try out the snowshoes my daughter got for me and with last night’s 6 inches of snow, the time is nigh. I first try them out in the back yard and find few problems with my stride as I troop over the snow. Wanting a bigger challenge, I take a short drive over to Wittman Preserve.
It is a perfect day to explore this park and it appears to be all mine. A lone sycamore tree stands mottled with white bark and snow hanging on its trunk and branches. Old grasses, butterfly weed, golden rod, and other perennials rise from the snow in sharp, contrasting lines harboring insect eggs and other things that will emerge in Spring.
Few creatures, except me, have left tracks. In the back of the park, I find crushed grasses indicating a prior bed for deer.
There is little color in the park and everything appears in a stark black-and-white relief. Snow on top of dried flower heads gives the impressing of dandelion seeds waiting to fly away.
I make my way over to the trail leading to Round Pond. Hiking through the wood, I see the tracks of a deer crossing the trail and that of a hiker and his dog.
The pond is pristine and absolutely quiet. I rest a bit taking in the scenery before I return to my car. Walking back, the only noise is coming from my snowshoes crunching through the untouched snow.
