Hiking on Christmas

December 25th and 26th, 2010

I got what I wanted for Christmas this year.

Having fun out there?

Nicole and I were fortunate enough to spend Christmas at her grandmother's house in Middleburgh, New York. It's not Christmas without snow, and this remote town just north of the Catskills had plenty to offer.

Just a half a mile from the house is a waterfall, and on Christmas Day, it was a solid mass of ice. Nicole and I took some photos while I braved some of the icicles to walk behind the ice mass. Quite a sight.

Growing up in the mid-1980s, snow on Christmas was like clockwork. I also remember the first time it didn't snow on Christmas. My mother, sisters and I went door to door singing Christmas carols in the rain. Alas, the snow did not come, and it seems like it's been a 50/50 chance that Connecticut will see a white Christmas ever since. So when I found out that Nicole's grandmother had invited everyone to her house in Middleburgh, I rejoiced.

There was a fair amount of snow on the ground--about three inches or so--and it made for some interesting hiking. Nicole and I made the mistake of not taking our walking sticks to walk to the waterfall. There isn't any trail to get there, and we found ourselves occasionally slipping and sliding as we walked towards the ice mass, silently hoping a bad fall wouldn't ruin our holiday.  At one point, faced with a steep slope, I simply got on my butt and slid down.

The things I am reduced to when I am bikeless!

Still, it was fun. The following morning we said goodbye to everyone and starting driving towards Rensselaerville--a small town worthy of Rockwell.  Like most small towns in this region of New York, there's a picturesque Main Street that hasn't changed in about 150 years and not much else. Rensselaerville won Nicole and I over this past summer when we ate at the town's only restaurant and went for a hike at the nearby Huyck Nature Preserve, where we were treated to a splendid view of an even larger, more majestic waterfall. Instead of dumping water into a large pool at its base, this waterfall had a series of smaller pools, each one looked like it had been terraced by man. Words are clearly insufficient to describe the majestic beauty of this natural phenomena. Instead, I suggest anyone who can take a look in person.

Dreaming of a White Christmas . . . oh, wait, I have one!!

When we arrived, the day after Christmas snowfall was just starting to drizzle down as we started walking through the woods. Today we had the foresight to use our walking sticks to provide much needed stability on our unstable walking surface. Visibility was both poor and rich at the same time--the snow obscured yet beautified the landscape simultaneously. And as for the waterfall? Once again, words fail to describe. In fact, photos fail to describe as well. Again, I suggest everyone who can take a good look in person. For me, the beauty of snowfall at the Huyck reserve was my Christmas present.

Not sure this is the right way . . .

The Crown Jewel of the Huyck Preserve. If you look closely, you'll see diamond encrusted snow caps--just kidding!!

The drive down was relatively uneventful until we reached Massachusetts, were we took advantage of the state's sensible commerce laws to purchase some wine for the evening. The snowfall had progressed to full-fledged blizzard status by the time we reached the state line, and the plows had barely reached the interstate, and even though our car handles great in the snow, it was a relief when we pulled into our driveway, knowing full well we could put our feet up and relax until our next adventure . . .