Tree shadows reach into the winter woods during a January afternoon at Catoctin Mountain Park, Md. (Compass Points Media / flickr) http://www.flickr.com/photos/compasspointsmedia/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
I wonder if “crazy” shouldn’t be synonymous with winter day hiking.
Chris Seiple, author of TrailSauce.com, and I took an 8.4-mile journey Sunday around the crown of Catoctin Mountain Park in northern Maryland. Temps struggled to escape the teens, windchill bit at our exposed faces, but what a world we found in those woods. My favorite highlights – coyote and bear tracks, plus an abundance of ice clinging to the rocks at Cunningham Falls, Maryland’s largest cascade at 78 feet.
As we shivered along the snowy paths, I sometimes chuckle at the thought that what we do is voluntary. We want to be out there in the cold. We could be walking a heated mall shopping with our wives, but nah. Give me the frosty wind in the tops of trees and the crunch of boots in the snow.
Out of our trip yesterday comes the third teaser for the new season of Compass Points TV. Give it a look, and then grab the video link, embed it on your Web site, share it with your hiking buddies and help us spread the good word. New episodes start Wednesday, March 3.
