One last hike in winter’s grip before spring
On the last day of winter, we slipped away from household duties to make the most of the snow that remained from the recent big Nor’easter.
Our 13-year-old moaned and groaned about having an outing, refusing to change out of jeans and arguing about putting on boots, but they perked up once we pulled into the parking lot.
“Oh, this trail,” the child said. “This is really short.”
In all, our hike at the Lisha Kill Natural Area in Niskayuna covered just 1.6 miles, but with the mushy snow and up-anddown terrain, we got in a bit of a workout anyway. Once on the trail, the 13-year-old bounded ahead, stopping to wait until we were in sight before running ahead again.
If ages are months, 13 is surely March, warm and affectionate one minute and cold and blustery the next. We were fine with the teen’s occasional inattention, as long as we were all outdoors in the fresh air.
We had brought along microspikes in case the trail was slick in spots, but where there was snow, it was more like mashed potatoes under our feet than ice.
Green ferns peeked out from under the snow along the bank of the first stream we crossed — a small tributary to the Lisha Kill — which was flowing enthusiastically, flush with snowmelt. Tree trunks were green with moss and the parts of the trail that weren’t covered in mushy snow were covered instead in sloppy mud. With late afternoon sunshine filtering through the leafless trees, it felt like spring was just around the corner.
The preserve features “old growth” forest — Eastern hemlocks and Eastern white pines that are estimated to be 200 years old. Some of the big trees suffered this winter, dropping branches or falling over completely. They will all return eventually to the earth. The Lisha Kill has been a family favorite for generations. I remember balancing on a huge fallen tree during hikes there as a child, then checking in over the decades as it slowly rotted away.
As if to confirm the arrival of spring, a bird hidden in the surrounding forest sang some buzzy calls. We’re not good enough birders to recognize the call, but were sure it was a recent arrival returned from warmer climes.
The Lisha Kill is often crowded, but we ran into only three other hikers during our final winter outing. One was a young man with a very friendly pit bull. As we gave the enthusiastic pup scratches, the man told us his canine companion, loyal and good with both people and other animals, was the best thing that ever happened to him. Eager to get moving, the dog made a few vertical leaps, nearly reaching shoulder height, before trying to pick up a stick that was really a tree root. We shared a laugh before moving on in pursuit of our own youngster.
Soon the preserve will be free of the last traces of snow and spring wildflowers will begin pushing their way up toward the sun. It’s enough, for now, to savor the slow changes and look forward to warmer weather.