Winter Walk

By Ariniko O'Meara   |   Posted January 9, 2014   |   Previous Entry   |   Next Entry

Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014

I did something silly today. I weighed myself. It was such a foolish stunt to try so soon after Christmas and two weeks of being pretty much snowed/iced in. I guess the silver lining is it's not as high as it usually is this time of year. I'm really thankful for those 200 miles of walking I did last September to finish my City Saunter project right about now! I have realized that since I completed my walking project I've really missed the walking I was doing. I'm not sure why I didn't keep it up. Today's weigh in plus a new lens waiting for me at the East Lansing post office was the perfect incentive for a nice winter walk. I decided to walk the Lansing River Trail starting at the trail head south of Kalamazoo St. It's one of my favorite locations and not too far from my house.

Snow covered Bridge on Lansing River Trail ©Ariniko Artistry 2014

I was very happy to find that the parking area was plowed and there were three other cars there. I am often amazed by Lansing's exercising community. After dressing for the adventure, placing my lens in my pockets (I like winter because of the extra pockets!) and ducking into the strap of my camera, I pulled up my mapmyrun app on my phone (boy this is feeling a lot like a City Saunter) and started down the path. Unfortunately the cleared path was short lived and soon I was trekking through a foot of snow. It must have been a Lansing Township lapse because the trail cleared off again and remained that way for the rest of my walk.

Today was still quite chilly. The expected high is 17 but I think the wind chill is still pretty close to zero. I would have been just fine except I had forgotten to put on long john's and I kept taking my gloves off to take photos. Even so, I was able to walk 3 miles in the woods on the river trail.

Frozen Branches on Red Cedar River ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Frozen Branches on Red Cedar River ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014

I have always loved the serenity of a winter walk. I love to cross country ski and would head out to Lake Lansing North and ski the trails. There are not nearly as many people out this time of year and many times you are the only one. On this walk I only passed two others, both runners. For much of this walk I was alone. On the way back I actually became numb and the cold no longer bothered me. I found myself wading into the deeper snow for better photos and even stopping and listening to the sounds. Even though there weren't any people out there I found quite a few animals out and about. At one point I was hearing this loud rustling sound and couldn't figure it out. Finally I looked up and there were squirrels in the tree tops scurrying about.

Squirrel in trees on Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Squirrels in trees on Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Squirrel in trees on Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014

I also found woodpeckers and ducks.

Woodpecker in tree on Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Duck in the Red Cedar off the Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Duck in the Red Cedar off the Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Geese in the Red Cedar off the Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Geese in the Red Cedar off the Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014

A friend of mine who recently moved to Ludington posted on Facebook the quote: "No such thing as bad weather.... just bad gear." I think I would have to agree with him. We live in a gorgeous land, where we have different environments all the time. I think it's a shame not to enjoy them.

Wasps nest in the trees above the Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014 Red Cedar off the Lansing River Trail by Aurelius Rd. ©Ariniko Artistry 2014