Cold? What is this..."cold?"

Highbanks trail, January 2010

Greetings after a long absence from the blog due to a) nagging lower back problems and b) general craziness in my life. This morning I took a long winter walk at Highbanks MetroPark. There was substantial snowfall this week here in central Ohio, so the trails varied between hard-packed snow and fluff, and it was definitely cold: when I left this morning, it was -2 degrees F, and by the time I had breakfast and started walking, I'd guess the temps were hovering between 0 and +5.

That said, this is my favorite time of year to walk. It's quiet, there are many fewer joggers, or anyone else for that matter, on the trails, and I personally enjoy the barrenness of the woods because it's much easier to spot birds and other wildlife than it is during the summer. Plus, there are tons of footprints of animals you might never actually see...but you know they're there. Unfortunately I took off without my camera this morning, but I have some Highbanks photos from about this time last year that I can pop in here.



Winter woods at Highbanks

For those who'd like to head out into the snow, my shot at motherly advice:: dress for the cold. For this weather, I do a pair of cotton tights under jeans, a medium-weight sock and waterproof hiking boots with insulating insoles. Up top, a substantial cotton turtleneck, winter-weight parka with down liner in place, a pair of medium-weight knit gloves covered by down mittens (at least at first), and a cheerful red fleece balaclava that makes me look like a cross between Santa Claus and a bank-robbery suspect. By the end of the hike, I've usually dispensed with the mittens and sometimes opened the outer shell of the coat, but that's the point of layers...when you warm up, you can remove some. Do not head out in a couple of sweatshirts, lightweight gloves, and running shoes. If you get turned around on the trails you may be out longer than expected, and frostbite and hypothermia are real dangers at these temps, especially if there's wind.

Highbanks ravine

Enough advice. This morning I saw a surprising number of critters out, especially birds. A pair of robins (who hang around all year here, contrary to popular belief...these are probably Canadian robins who think this is the south, eh?); a tufted titmouse, common at birdfeeders as well as in the winter woods; several cardinals and blue jays; and a red-bellied woodpecker. The woodpeckers are much easier to spot in the winter with the leaf canopy down; this one was drumming off to the side of the trail, and when I turned to see where he was, he came zipping down the trail right over my head, headed to a better tree. I did not see any today, but I often see pileated woodpeckers at Highbanks. These are the guys Woody Woodpecker was modeled after...black backs, white necks, big red crests. Beautiful birds. I also saw (at the nature center's birdfeeders) an Eastern towhee, a first for me...a very handsome guy with a black back, rusty orange sides, and a pristine white belly.

Olentangy River from Highbanks overlook, January 2010

As for furry critters, the chipmunks and squirrels were very active considering the cold. Had a laugh at a squirrel who made a high-speed run down a branch that was sticking up at an angle from the ground...the branch was covered in snow, and the squirrel looked like a furry little snowmobile zipping down the branch: a bushy tail and a cloud of snow. There were lots of tracks crisscrossing the trails, but unfortunately the snow is fairly dry and fluffy and doesn't hold tracks very well. I recognized deer, rabbit, and what were likely coyote prints, but the rest were unreadable.

A most worthwhile trek through the woods in the snow. There's nothing like the silence of the woods in winter as a stress buster. Layer up and go. I guarantee you'll feel lighter and less harried when you make it back to civilization.