Beastly weather, beautiful walk

First came a shower of sleet, then an inch of freezing rain, followed by two inches of wet snow, topped off by a half inch of “wintry mix” precipitation — falling on a day with temperatures in the mid-30s so there would be much melting, runoff, and puddles. A few hours later the temperature dropped to 17 degrees so it could all freeze into a montage of bobsled runs, downhill slalom, courses, figure skating arenas, hockey rinks, and curling sheets.

But when the snow-mix ended and the skies cleared late in the day, a walk along the “frozen river” road (with ice grippers attached to our boots) was an hour to enjoy the incredible beauty of the North Country in January.

Halfway down our driveway, overlooking the seasonal creek the grandkids call Frozen River.

Filled with runoff from morning’s winter-mix precipitation and snowmelt, it froze and became a sculpture when the temperature suddenly dropped to 17.

Confluence of the two ravines at the southeast corner of our farm.

Rain flushed the snow and ice off the face of low limestone bluffs, then a blast of Arctic wind froze it all solid again.

When grandkids come to visit, this is the stretch of Frozen River they love to walk-skate.

Small springs that issue from cracks in the limestone bluffs — we call them seeps — filled a small catch basin in Frozen River before the seeps, in turn, froze closed.

Winter is a beast, winter is a beauty. Why do we stay in the North Country in the depths of winter? Well, this is why.

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More stories about life in the North Country are published in my three collections of essays and two novels, all available through my Author Page on Amazon.com Jerry Johnson Author Page