One of the things I love most about where I live is the access to all things nature, especially in the winter when it would otherwise be so easy to go stir-crazy being cooped up inside. Whether it’s ice skating at Great Pond, or hiking one of the countless trails of McLean Game Refuge, or snowshoeing across the fields by the great old tobacco barns, I can step out my door and embark upon any of these winter adventures!
After ice skating yesterday morning, I decided today would be a hike at McLean, before the anticipated snow storm would blanket the woods in white. As I headed to the trail head, I decided I would not use my phone to navigate all of the paths, but rather trust my instincts and let the woods guide me. It amazes me that after five years of hiking these trails weekly, there are still paths I have not traveled. And today, I found one such unfamiliar trail. Deciding to go straight at a trail intersection, I crossed through an open field and suddenly found myself at the base of a trailhead that would lead to the peak of the lesser known of the two Barndoor Hills. Although I had seen this peak before, it had only been from the road below and from the more common peak at McLean. As I reentered the woods, climbing higher and higher, winding my way through leaves, over fallen logs, and up steep rocky stretches, I marveled at the woods, the scurrying of squirrels and birds before the storm, the stillness of the trees before the storm’s winds threatened to topple them. The quiet peace of the woods.
I arrived at the summit to find a bench, dedicated to a fellow hiker, with one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite Robert Frost poems:
"Two paths diverged in yellow wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Here, in the calm before the storm, I had done just that. I had taken the less traveled path, and I was so glad I did! Thoughts of Robert Frost’s poem filled my head as I descended. Did taking the less traveled trail today make all the difference? Who knows? But as I emerged from the woods to see the first snowflakes starting to fall, I was certainly glad I did!