I’ve never had a snow day. Afterall, I grew up in South Florida where you’re more likely to get a week off school following a hurricane. But a snowstorm – pretty unlikely.
So, imagine my surprise and delight when at 25 years old and several years removed from school, I awoke one December morning to the news – we had a snow day! It was like I was 12 years old again. Me and my fellow members quickly began layering up and leaped into the quickly accumulating powder. Shin deep, the newly laid blanket was free of blemishes or prints aside from our own. Crunching into each new step instilled unadulterated joy in me. We grabbed a few sleds from the SLA’s basement and started to slide down a modest hill freshly covered in snow. While the distance was in total about ten feet, it was nonetheless thrilling.
It was hard to believe that just a day before the landscape was bare and lifeless. The early days of December brought in short days and the chill of winter, but the dull brown of leafless trees and senescing grasses made the otherwise gorgeous horizon bleak and subdued. Winter seems to transform with the first proper snowfall. The white backdrop brought to life the whimsical and mysterious nature of this season.
As our morning of sledding and playing in the snow ended, we thawed our fingers and drank our hot chocolate and coffees to prepare for the shoveling and plowing that laid ahead of us – yet another thing foreign to Floridians. With shovel in-hand we began the laborious effort of removing snow from pathways and stairs around the SLA. After a morning of childlike fun, I was suddenly shocked back into my young adult body. Still, what a way to spend your workday! But the shoveling was just a warmup for the main event of the day – learning to drive the plow!
Inside our F250, we huddled in the warm cab as Maggy led us in a crash course on operating the plow. With the controls in-hand and my foot on the pedal, I managed to move tons of snow with the ease of flexing my foot. The powder flew up as we cleared the parking lot bit by bit, forming huge banks in the corners of our lots. I was back to feeling like a kid again, it was almost like I was playing a video game.
The day was long as we worked well into the night clearing the SLA and our trailheads of snow. Snow that had fallen all day long. Snow that in total fell 16 inches deep. Its safe to say by the time I was finally returning to my bed, I had just about had enough of snow.
Still, I can’t wait for the next snow day!
Mikey heard about the SLA after volunteering on one of our LRCC-led volunteer trail days while serving with NH’s Student Conservation Association. We’re happy to have him on our team (especially thanks to his impressive trailering skills)! You can learn more about Mikey here!