Am I crazy?

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

Am I crazy?  Many would debate for and against the answer to that question.  Is doing something you love in 27-degree weather constitute being crazy?  If so then I am, but if I am then so are others.

Today I arrived at Mt. St. Francis parking lot on this 27-degree morning jamming to Eminem and looking for my friends who planned to join me.  The music was intended to fire me up and get my brain going.  It did.  My body needs a little more coaxing.   For that, I rely on Mother Nature’s cold needle-like hands.  It worked.

Today I was joined by some old friends and new ones.  Kristin, Matthew, Julia, Wendi, Troy, Aaron, Joe, and Rusty all decided to partake on an epic journey through the woods.  After everyone arrived we spend a brief minute or two saying hello and introducing ourselves then off we went.

As we headed down a gravel path that eventually led us past a large water tower and on to a dirt trail, Rusty became our obvious leader and guide.  Rusty, by the way, is a beautiful Australian Shepherd who belongs to Wendi, but for a few hours, he belonged to all of us.

As we moved down the path we were sandwiched between a small forest on the right and a field of four-foot-high grass on the left.  We soon came to our first crossroads.  I made the call to head straight into the woods and take trail 11.  Not long into the woods, we began to descend a hill.  As I looked around I saw the group split up in pairs of two engaged in conversations.  Some were getting to know each other, some idle chat, some watching and talking about Rusty and others just taking in the beauty of the surroundings.  I, of course, had my eye out for my next photo, and that soon came as we hit the bottom of the hill and were presented with a small brook that was partially frozen.

We continued on the path for a while, as people jockeyed a position to be able to talk to one another.  The woods had a peaceful yet calming tone about them.  Even the loud chatter and laughter by some of the hikers were drowned out by nature’s “white noise”.

Our journey continued and we reached the furthest most point of our hike only to discover a frozen waterfall.  The waterfall was not far from the designated path and we all scurried like mice to work our way in different directions over to the creek and waterfall that shown so dominantly through the dormant trees.

After I took some pictures and others explored the area we made our way back to the trail, Rusty in the lead, and headed forward.  Our path soon led us to the first of many handmade wooden bridges.  As we crossed and admired the partially frozen creek I thought how I have heard many times about winter being so dull and lack of color.  I think that is far from the truth as these pictures attest.

The trail meandered back through the woods, over a few bridges and eventually over a wider, more frozen part of the creek.  There Aaron and Matthew tested the thickness of the ice by trying to stand on it.  Aaron also pointed out the bubbles flowing down the creek under the ice.  As usual, I took a few pictures and also pointed out that to my observation no-one checked for a troll under the bridge before we crossed.

We left trail 10, moved through trail 6, which led us to trail 4 and eventually intersected with trail 5.  Trail 5 is beautiful as it approaches the lake.  From the ridge, we had a gorgeous view of the frozen lake as we descended to the water’s edge.  This is where I think those who have never been here taken a moment to pause and enjoy the beauty and what nature gave us all this day.

We crossed the bridge over the back of the pond.  Joe held on to the bench and tested the strength of the ice, Rusty wanted desperately to jump in but refrained as Wendi was watching him closely.  I looked at things I had taken pictures of in the past and noticed how differently the ice, cold, and snow changed the look of them.  I smiled because being out here today had the opposite effect on me.  Many times in my life I feel frozen in my job, in the day to day duties I do, and with the responsibilities that come along with being an adult.  Today, for these few hours, I felt alive and invigorated.  The complete opposite of what the frozen world appeared in front of me.

As a group, we headed up the hill and made our way to a post marking trail 3.  We paused once again for Kristin to test the strength of the ice with rocks.  The sound the rocks made hitting the thick ice was hypnotic.  The ice did not break.  Troy led us briefly as we continued.  He was soon replaced by Rusty as the leader.  Trail 3 is my favorite trail on the property.  It is within inches of the pond at times and wraps around a large section of the pond.  One section of the trail has a long wooden plank bridge that has you cascading through the flats.  In the section you can see plenty of green moss on the decaying trees, fungus on other trees and one, in particular, had a knot that looks just like and eye.

As we reached the end of trail 3 there is a small cape that houses a statue of an angel and a small birdhouse.  This IS my favorite spot on the lake.  The ground is covered by pine needles, pine cones are hanging from a tree, and even the large tree laying partially submerged in the water adds to the feel of the area.  For me, it is so peaceful.  I have heard others who have gone with me to this spot say “this is where they need to put a bench”.  Maybe so, but for now, when I am there I will stand and gaze at the beautiful surroundings.  This is where my spirit has completely thawed!

As we crossed an open field and made our way back into the woods, the chatter got louder and livelier.  It was almost like subconsciously everyone knew we were headed back to our chaotic lives.  We went up a small hill, back down across a bridge, and then back into an open field.  This field reminded me of open savannah.  Every time I pass this section I envision a lion lying wait in the tall grass ready to pounce.

We hit the last small trail that led us back to our vehicles.  Once there we said our goodbyes, and all hoped we would meet again for these little hikes.  As the planner of this group, my goal is to hit the trail once a week or more if possible.  Based on today, I don’t think I will be alone.

So am I crazy?  No, I am alive.  I need reminders like today to realize that.  The trail, the conversations, the friendship, the cold air, the serenity, and yea the pictures I took all reminded me that I am alive.  Ironically that same white noise that helped drown out many of the conversations that were had along the trail today, also drown out many of the thoughts and worries running through my brain daily and the 27-degree air might have frozen the land but help thaw out this old man’s body and spirit.