Where's the snow? Not in Herron Park.

The middle of February and hardly any snow.  Last year at this time Herron Park had a lot of snow to enjoy.  We snowshoed quite a bit, people cross-country skied and sledded on the great sledding hill there.

 A few hours ago, I went to Herron Park with my son, Eli, hoping that the trail wasn't as icy as the ones on Lone Pine.  Reports from Eli and my snowshoeing friend, Marylane, told me that the trails on Lone Pine were quite treacherous, very icy and packed down, making for some beyond-icewalker hiking.  No thanks.  I have been either going to the gym or walking downtown to get some exercise.  Today, however, the sun was shining and the temperature was hovering around freezing, so off we went.

From a distance you could tell that, although there was some snow, there wasn't nearly enough to ski or snowshoe. 

There were a lot of bare spots poking through the thin covering of snow and the hills didn't have that wintery look that I hoped it would have.  We set off on the icy trail, trying to avoid the parts that resembled skating rinks.  We met a walker with two standard poodles who didn't mind that there wasn't much snow.  They were just happy to be outside on a walk.  That's the way I began to feel, too.  The day was bright and lovely, I felt recovered from a bout of back pain from the previous week and my knees felt almost normal.  It's hell getting old.

We took the main trail/road up the side of the hill.  Eli never did put on his ice-walkers although I did at the parking lot.  I also had my poles - just in case I hit a slippery spot.  I hadn't done any uphill walking in a few weeks, so I took it easy and went slowly.  Eli was ahead of me the whole way, but that's nothing new.  He is young and strong and has a longer stride.  Ah, youth.

Pretty soon, I got hot and sweaty and stopped for a rest and a photo.  The hills around the park were pretty bare, but still a beautiful sight.  Just being outside in the fresh, cold air made me feel better than I had in a while.

In the distance, I could just make out the Swan range looking blue and snowy.  I found myself saying "Now, if I come up here and do this walk two or three times a week, I'll be in pretty good shape for Lone Pine when the ice is gone."  That is a great thought.  Maybe I'll actually try it.  I don't mind walking alone in Lone Pine - familiarity breeds courage.  I think I'd be alright in Herron Park alone, but somehow it seems better to have a companion in a bigger, farther away place.  I should just suck it up and stop being a baby.  Or beg my son to come with me.  Yeah, begging might work.

Anyway, I had a wonderful walk.  Peaceful, pretty and a good workout for an hour's work only a few miles from home.  There really isn't a good reason why I can't come up here more often.  After all, it's only the middle of February.  Spring is a long way off.