The lure of SPRING hiking

[carole]

Watching the butterflies return
Hearing the gurgling water under the ice
Finding the mud holes to slop in (clean your boots before you get in the car)
Feeling solid ground under your feet (no more slipping on ice)
Seeing the forest through the trees (bare of snow or leaves)
Observing drab turn to brilliant
Listening to all the noisy birds calling for a mate
Carrying a lighter pack
Smelling the life awakening around you
Touching new growth
Tasting the sunshine

 

[Grumpy]

And don't forget . . .

. . . the promise that SUMMER is on its way (to be followed by glorious AUTUMN)!

Great list, Carole.

G.

 

[sp1936]

Re: And don't forget . . .

. . . the promise that SUMMER is on its way (to be followed by glorious AUTUMN)!

Finally, somebody got it right. Autumn = prime time.


Steve

 

[Jim W]

the waterfalls

 

[Ridgerunner]

Are you kidding ?

Postholing right up to your crotch again and again after numerous attempts at levitation
Hearing your partner curse more than you.

 

[dug]

Mud. Lotsa lotsa mud.

Oh, wait, you said 'lure'. I agree with the first bloom of the flowers.

 

[Rick]

The hike from the car to the put-in with my kayak over my head as the dragonflies buzz the water

 

[bandana4me]

A little off topic but.....

Now that the snowmobilers, and skiers are gone ( but not forgotten). I can actually move around again without being tied up in traffic.

To me the lure is:

LESS PEOPLE to deal with between the house and the trailhead.

Summer is coming though, and it will be time to hibernate once more.

WINTER is only how many days away?

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

Falling asleep to the sound of rain on the lean-to roof...

 

[mavs00]

Great list............

Great list carole, thanks

There is something special about watching the woods and wilds re-awaken and emerge from the long winter slumber.

Yea, there's mud and postholing and other small annoying aspects, but certainly not enough to take away from the natural beauty of re-birth.

Almost as good as summer, not near as cool as fall......but WAY better winter (had to throw that in).

 

[dave.m]

o Black flies
o Mud and wet boots
o 45f - 35f temps and all day rains
o Post-holing
o Wet fleece and steaming GoreTex
o The weight of crampons on your pack while hiking in dirt down low
o Shorts in the valley, winter on the peaks

Actually, I love, love, love spring hiking. Quite a treat to walk in snow in the morning and see the blooming trout lillies in the afternoon.

 

[audrey]

It's all about the flowers and the birds. I fall down a lot during this time.

Finding a warm sunny spot for lunch on a cold breezy May day, hearing the white-throated sparrows return, stepping in the last patch of snow in June, picking money out of the grass under the silent chairlifts...

 

[funkyfreddy]

Great list, Carole. I love seeing the forest return to life- let the sleeper wake!

 

[eddie]

Watching the emergence of the black flies

Postholing - you got it right Ridgerunner.

Spring hiking generally sucks.

 

[Woody]

Spring flowers down low and postholing up high.

 

[Couchybar]

Seeing the secrets of nature slowly released from the pristine vault of winter.
Enjoying the equivalent of two or even three seasons in a single hike.
Being the first to sink knee deep in newly thawed earth. (highly preferable to spruce traps).
Being reminded that brooks do babble, birds do sing and yes - bugs do bite.

In defense of bugs

Black flies - the cost of relative solitude in the woods.
Black flies - helping to keep the wild in wilderness.

Spring - as good as it gets to winter