It Doesn't Feel Like February

Hey there, Friends.

I was lucky enough to have the day off today and it was gorgeous!  It really did not seem at all like February in New York since it was 70 outside.  Beautiful, sunny weather and blue skies -- it was awesome.  I decided that I really needed to get outdoors, so I  went to Minnewaska State Park for a little hike.

I took a lot of pictures, Friends.  Fair warning in case that is going to kill your computer/phone/device-of-choice waiting for them to load.  I normally have very bad luck and it is overcast when I go, but it was so beautiful today I couldn't help but take a ton of pictures.  It was a very odd feeling to be wearing a t-shirt, breaking a sweat, while hiking snowy, icy trails around a mostly-frozen lake.

I'll post these in the order that I took them.  Feel free to pretend that you were with me if you would like.  Or don't.  I'll never know.

I was feeling artsy at the beginning, so black & white

Pretty bridge, and the snow should give you an idea of what the trail looked like a majority of the time.

Pine cones overhead

Tree on the edge

Hello, Hudson Valley!

Cliffs overlooking the Hudson Valley

Now hanging out on the cliffs overlooking Lake Minnewaska

Looking down at the frozen lake

Why yes, I did stand on the edge of every rock I could find

Looking across to the parking area, the start of the hike.

Looking down at trees

Lower view, different direction

I'm sure there are people who would wander out there if there wasn't a sign

At the shore

I was up there, Friends.  You can see the tiny little people.

Same place from across the lake

Some green amid the snow

Okay, so it's a bathroom....but it looked so pretty with the sun and the melting snow

Through the trees.  Starting the last trek uphill and back to the parking lot.

That's what a majority of the trail looked like.  A snow/slush/ice combo, depending on how much sun it had gotten.

I don't know if you have ever tried going on a hike on snowy, slushy, icy trails in your sneakers, Friends.  It probably wasn't a wise move on my part.  It's not always easy to keep your footing on the uphill and downhill stretches -- especially on downhill turns.  It was a weird sensation at times.  It would be really warm, and then when the trail turned into a shaded, more snow-covered area, I could actually feel the cooler air swirling around my legs.  Kinda trippy. I'm rather proud of myself for managing to make it through the entire thing without face-planting or falling on my ass. I think my Fitbit should give me an extra bonus of some kind.  It took much more energy than usual to keep my footing while hiking on that rather than regular ground.

To cap off a beautiful day, there was an amazing sunset.  (Yes, I was already back home at this point.)

Were you lucky enough to have such beautiful weather today, Friends?  I hope you were able to go outside and enjoy it -- at least for a little bit.  If you had shitty weather?  Sorry.  That stinks. Look at the pretty pictures and dream of nicer days ahead.