Snowshoeing Out Our Front Door

This afternoon I walked out the front door and went snowshoeing. It was awesome.

Although our house is on only .5 acres, we’re surrounded by 54 acres of undeveloped APA-regulated land. Private land in the Adirondacks is classified into specific categories that set limits on land use. The goal of this classification is to channel development into areas where it is best supported and to control the overall density of development in order to maintain the natural, open characteristics of the park.

I’ve been itching to take an exploratory hike on this land since we moved in, but it wasn’t until recently that we got permission from the landowners. The owners happen to be our neighbors, so it was my own cowardliness that kept me from asking if they’d mind if Dave and I take the occasional hike/snowshoe/ski on their land. A few days ago I bit the bullet and asked, and to my delight their answer was, “Sure, no problem! You can head up there whenever you want.”

The land is accessible by a rough-cut road that runs directly to the edge of our property. Right now, it is sublimely snow-covered, marred only by various animal tracks. I happily tromped up the road, breaking trail, still giddy over the fact that I can snowshoe out my front door!

The snow-covered access road

The road winds up a slight hill and then flattens off a bit before beginning another longer incline. It was a decent workout for my less than in-shape self. Since the trees are mostly hardwoods, I could see through the forest in all directions – and to the mountains in the east.

The same mountains we can see from our house

It was a gorgeous afternoon. Even the sky is a different color of blue here. I can only assume it’s from the lack of pollution.

Brilliant blue sky

A little while later the road narrowed. The hardwoods gave way to evergreens and it began to feel more wild and secluded.

Tree-lined trail

When I spotted yellow signs posted to the trees in the distance, it was time to turn around and head back home. Our neighbors are kind enough to let us enjoy their land, so there’s no need to trespass elsewhere. Soon enough, I spotted our house through the trees.

Home again

As much fun as I had, the whole time I was thinking, “I can’t wait to try this on skis!”