BLT

Perhaps Sabina read my mind. Or maybe she had similar thoughts about snowshoeing. In any case, that's what we ended up doing for our walkabout.

The walkabout had already been discussed and decided upon over the past week. We'd not been out wandering the bush as much we usually did over the last two months. The best-and shortest-way to put it was life happened and had gotten in the way. An excuse, perhaps, but that's what ended up happening. So it goes.

I figured on the Bull's Head. Its rock face borders the northern edge of our little township, face-first to the cantina. An easy trek. Maybe an hour, at most. There would be some ice to contend with around the Diamond Tunnel, but I figured, at worst, we might want to wear our snowpants, in case there were some drifts.

"How about the BLT?" Sabina offered as we got up and about our day.

The BLT, the Baker-Loveland Trail, is but five miles up the Road from home. Its trailhead is in the same area as Gray's and Torey's, the two nearby fourteeners. We'd talked about riding our bikes along the BLT come summer. Although we'd be driving to the trailhead, it would be something different, and, at ninety-eight hundred feet, there was deeper snow, which was not wind-blown. This meant packing the snowshoes.

Oh, fuck yes...

So, we had breakfast and got the fixings for chili into the crockpot. Got dressed and loaded our gear into Kali. It was a little before noon when we set off, reaching the trailhead by midday.

It was a pleasant trek. Unlike so many of the trails around home, the BLT is a little more public. Although, with it being winter, we encountered only the occasional snowshoers or cross-country skiers. There was no wind and the ambient air temperature was mild. The Road ran nearby, but, by virtue of the snow and woods, it was not overly loud.

Five miles, roundtrip. We both found our legs sore in muscles we didn't even know we owned. Be that as it may, it was wonderful. Wonderful to be off in the bush. Wonderful to finally get in a snowshoe. Wonderful to be alive.

Sabina mused how cats from other times and other lives would not understand our desire to go wandering out in the snow. Fair enough. Cliche wisdom states it takes different strokes. I cannot understand the desire to sit around and watch television all day, perhaps owing to the fact we do not own one.

Later now, worn out from the workout that is snowshoeing, I already scheme for another walkabout. Hopefully, within the next couple of days. We have obligations to attend to, but we also have a couple of free days. I'm pretty set on the Bull's Head, because it's close and quick. There's a set of Buddhist prayer flags I left up top, and I'd like to see if they're still there. I'm confident it'll be gotten to. We have time.