I think every year I get a little bit better at this whole winter thing. I no longer see the arrival of snow as an affront on common decency. Shovelling sucks, but I’ve finally learned to see the pure, clean beauty of a fresh layer of snowfall in the forest. It is beautiful, it’s eerily quiet, and it makes a weird crunch under your feet, depending on the type of snow. But getting out and enjoying it is the difference between hating winter and embracing it. And it comes down to good clothing! Once you are appropriately dressed in layers with snow pants, thick socks and waterproof boots, you can enjoy a winter walk easily. A Trini friend who lived in Sweden once told me, ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.’ So true.

There’s something about pulling on my snow pants and stepping outside that makes winter feel different— more inviting instead of just cold. The moment I zip them up and lace my boots, I feel ready for the snow instead of dreading it. Walking along snow-covered trails turns the season into an adventure. The cold air feels fresh on my face, and the quiet of the trees is strangely peaceful. We are lucky to have so many trails nearby; within a ten minutes drive (or even a ten minutes walk from my house) I can find myself inside a forested winter wonderland.

And for the first time – I saw Northern Lights! Not the green dancing-in-the-sky kind of lights that I’ve seen on television, but more like the light pillars reaching up to the sky. Very cool!