Stories in the Snow, Winter Travel

Although the cold demands respect, I love nothing more than to muck about, marveling at the beauty of winter and finding stories in the snow. My partner Bill loves identifying bicycle tracks, and as he shouts out the treads, I try to learn the difference between the Escalator, the Larry, the Big Fat Larry, the Nate, etc. But I always fall short, distracted by a fresh mouse or ermine track, a glimpse into the lives of the forest dwellers. Skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, or snow biking, it doesn't really matter, with all the different tracks to see, it's high drama out there!

Larry tracks above, I think.

Also, as Bill speeds ahead down the trail, I have no problem slowing down to see what all the going's about. There?s really nothing like a fresh layer of fluff to enliven the snowy expanse. Once you?re comfortable identifying the foot-steppers, its even more fun to piece together the different journey in  the snow in front of you, which tree was climbed, why the 90 degree turn, or a beeline for the ridge?

 

You can see the touch-down of the wings in the photo above, where the squirrel tracks suddenly end. Sometimes the tracks aren't as delicate or as intriguing ...

 

I came upon the scene in this photo, Bill was fine, some of the extra fluff cushioned his landing, and a small rib in the road caused the careening of the bike. A crash complete with helmet imprints and foot steps leading away from the scene.

I hope you can get out to enjoy the winter, set some fresh tracks and discover the wonder.  Also, check out some options for trips with Adventure Cycling Association. We're setting some new tracks with a few brand-new tours:

Southern Sampler - May 11 - 22
Bar Harbor, Maine Inn to Inn - June 8 - 15

Also, grab some friends and check out some high adventure on some of these tours:

Sierra Cascades - May 25 - July 30

Freedom Flyer - June 26 - July 4

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ON THE ROAD is written by the tours team -- Mo, Paul, Madeline, and Arlen -- tours specialists and intrepid bicyclists, covering all things related to Adventure Cycling's tours Department. Check out our 2013 Tours!

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2013/01/stories-in-snow-winter-travel.html

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