Sunday, January 16, 2011

Winter Hiking

No, winter doesn't deter us -- we hike in cold and in snow, and if the snow gets to be 8" or so deep, we simply switch to our snowshoes, which hasn't happened yet this year.



In case you wonder -- no we don't hike the same forest preserve all the time.  We have 15 or more county forest preserves we like in Lake, Cook, and McHenry Counties, and we rotate between them.  Certain preserves are earmarked for low wind-chill days since they have dense woods and block the wind, while preserves with open terrain are hiked when there is no wind.


We often are rewarded with wildlife sightings.  Last week we saw a coyote on the trail ahead of us, and with the leaf-off conditions, the expansive views into the woods on each side of the trail lets us spot deer every hike -- over 25 on our last hike.  And I'm still amazed at how many birds winter in our area, too.


So get out there -- enjoy Nature and

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