I had a plan. I am goal oriented. I gave up.
Yesterday, close to the Eastern Continental Divide, the highest point on the Great Allegheny Passage, the trail was good, mostly firm, with a few remnants of the deepest drifts still lying about, but easily avoided, or plunged through for the fun of it. We opened the Big Savage Tunnel yesterday and considered the thru-trekking season officially underway.
But today I hopped onto the trail in Markleton and headed east toward Rockwood. Between MP 46 and 45, my shoes full of wet ice and my thighs numb, I turned around. You can see why. Note the bike standing without assistance.
To me, this should come as no surprise. The day I moved in to Somerset County decades ago I carried my few possessions in cardboard boxes through waist-deep snow. That was in March. And Marches have keep me guessing every since. The picture at right, taken last week, is typical. I used both machines on the same day.Yet it might surprise you to know winter is my favorite season. There's a tranquility to winter in the mountains, a spareness missing in balmier days.
And even though I had to cut my ride short, there were these uplifting scenes from the last of the season. What's left of it continues to melt. Even between Markleton and Rockwood, the trail should be passable this weekend.
There will likely be another snowfall here before the middle of April, and I plan to enjoy it while I can. I'm in no rush for the seasons to change. One winter closer to our last, you know? Besides, a guy can get spoiled having the trail to himself. Peace heals.
copyright 2010 by J. O'Brien, all rights reserved
