A lot of people I know associate winter with long-lasting monotony, bitter cold, and darkness. When you live in an area where it can sometimes feel like winter for half the year, I think finding other feelings to associate with the colder months is crucial for keeping your sanity intact. Although that’s not always easy, with every year I spend in New Hampshire I enjoy winter more and more.
I think the first thing that comes to mind when many people think of winter is the cold. The cold brings snow, and the snow brings a number of things that can inhibit daily life, like dangerous roads and the need for lots of shoveling. This combination of freezing temperatures and nuisances brought about by snow can drive people indoors for most of the winter months. There’s nothing wrong with that, and in fact, sipping a warm beverage by a fire and looking out the window at the snow gently falling can be very relaxing. But I’d encourage everyone to try to power through some of the cold and annoyances of the snow to experience all the amazing things the winter months have to offer.
It always takes me some time to get used to the cold out here, but hiking through the fall and into the winter helps me ease into it a bit. It’s always an awesome transition going from taking in the beautiful fall foliage to walking beneath snow-covered pines and across half-frozen streams. The snow changes my hiking experiences dramatically in a way that’s hard for me to describe. It transforms the forest and mountain landscapes into these ethereal, almost otherworldly environments that draw me in and give me a deep sense of belonging. There’s a quiet beauty there that I hope everyone gets to experience at least once in their lifetimes.
The snow and ice also bring about some of my favorite winter-exclusive hobbies. There’s nothing quite like snowboarding or skiing down a mountain at high speeds, weaving in and out of trees, going off some jumps, and managing to maintain your balance along the way. The best part is, when you inevitably fall once or twice (or a lot if you’re like me), you have a big, fluffy pillow of snow there to catch you. Then you have more tranquil hobbies like ice skating. That silky smooth sensation of ice skates gliding across a fresh sheet of ice almost makes it feel like you’re floating. Falling is definitely less comfy on the ice though. There are also those simple pleasures that only snow can provide, like throwing snowballs or jumping up and sinking down into deep snow, that will never get old to me. If you’ve never skipped a rock over a very thinly frozen pond or lake, I encourage you to try it out. I won’t spoil the surprise for you.
Of course, there will be days where it’s too cold and windy to get outside, but even then, I find that the change in weather provides me with inspiration and motivation to take on different projects or new hobbies altogether. Perhaps now is the perfect time to build an outdoor bench that can be used on future sunny days. Maybe now that I’m spending a bit more time indoors, it’s the perfect time to try out woodcarving to take the interior decoration to the next level. The possibilities really are endless, so why not try out new things?
I think the thing I struggle with the most in the winter is the darkness. The days can end pretty abruptly if you don’t keep track of the time considering the sun will set just after 4 PM at the winter equinox out here. Yet it’s still possible to find beauty in this darkness. Right around sunset is when the crepuscular animals we don’t often see during the day come out. I’ve caught sight of a few red foxes this year, and their vibrant orange fur strikes a beautiful contrast against the backdrop of the snow. Nighttime also brings a whole new sensation to hiking and ice skating. Being able to look up and see a starry sky or look around and see the moonlight reflecting brightly off the snow really adds a sense of wonder to the experience.
People often tell me they wouldn’t dream of moving to a northern state specifically because of the winters. The winters here certainly are a defining feature of the region, but after living here for a little over five years, I’d say it’s a very positive feature for the most part. While shoveling out a driveway for the umpteenth time can certainly get old for anyone, I hope others are able to find the same joy that the winter brings to me.
When he isn’t serving at the SLA, you might find Daniel juggling, ice skating on the pond, or out doing other winter sports. You can learn more about Daniel here!