March ... Let the melting begin.

March is the month of extremes. The month of the meltdown. The South facing slopes of the mountain melt off quickly in the warm sun, while the north facing slopes easily hang onto their hard packed and icy snow. Every year at this time people come up and get stuck on the roads. The reason for this is almost everywhere else the snow is gone and part of the roads up here invite you to take the risk.
The mud covered parts of the road led you to believe you are safe then when it is too late to turn around you will hit several miles of icy snow packed roads, which send many a traveler into the ditch. Walking requires cleats such as the rubber slip over ones in the picture below, without them constant slipping and falling is inevitable. The dogs seem to do fairly well with the soft part of their pads acting as slid resistors and having four legs helps when one of them slips. Thor the three-legged dog slips a bit more, but not as much as I expected and he would never miss out on a walk.
Even though the temperatures were in the teens as I took my walk today, the sun felt warm and there was a hope of change in the air. The days are stretching out a bit more and the sun feels warmer daily. The meltdown from the mountains filled the pond and it gurgled a pleasant sound overflowing into the stream. These are the rewards of living in the woods; the walks, sounds, and constant changing of the seasons. The countdown to April is on. When April comes the woods will surely be past the worst winter has to offer and we will again have the freedom to go anywhere on the roads without worry of deep snow. Mountain girl, Paula, logging out and Marching forth.