Winter is Here!?

It seems as if we are all enjoying the final days of warmth, gardening and sweater wearing, when BAM! winter descends and it's time to drag out warm clothes, stoke the fires and move indoors for months of inside activities. With the wind and snow it is easy to stay sequestered, barely leaving the house except to go to work and pick up the makings for soup or hot casseroles.

But central Pennsylvania in the winter can be a truly wonderful season of outdoor activity and beauty. If you are one of those types of people that shutter at the thought of the wind nipping at your nose and cold feet; dress appropriately and give the winter a chance. After a new fallen snow there is a silence that is almost spiritual. Even the birds are silent for a while. With snow on the ground it is easy to spot footprints of turkey, deer, and bear. One year I followed a trail of paw prints of a mother and baby black bear.

With all the colorful leaves gone, the winter is the time of the year to see through the trees to an often brilliant, blue sky. X-country skiing, snowshoeing or clomping through the snow with warm winter boots is a fun, enjoyable way to get some free exercise. And of course after your winter excursions coming inside to a warm house, inn or room feels better than you ever imagined.

This year local or not, follow the PA Quilt (and Rug) Trails and experience the outdoors.
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