Wild Winter Wonders – New England Edition

You know what’s interesting about winter in New England? So many people impatiently wait for the first snow, but as soon as it falls, everyone strives for the next season…But why?

Winter in New England has a unique beauty to it. Sparkling flakes dancing around us like we’re inside of a magical snow globe, strong evergreen trees with pearly blankets elegantly hugging their frosty branches, and a new found community in winter sports.

I never understood why the Northeastern, brisk season drives so many South.

Sure, there are days that make you lie back in the snow and let out a sigh of exhaustion from shoveling pounds of slush from your slippery driveway… and everyone in New England knows of the dreaded morning window scrape. But, all of these things bring us together and create a sense of unbreakable community and connection.

Most of all; however, is the universal love for our beautiful, wooded forests, lined with white birches, chilling mountain streams, and breathtaking views. We all know of the tall, robust pine trees, exposing twisting branches and fraying bark, each telling a different story of the years before us. These become somehow more beautiful while looking up at their impressive cascades of glimmering frost…even when each individual snowflake is carried by a crisp breeze into your rosy cheeks.

I remember a time when I hiked through these dense forests, snow crunching under my every step and my micro spikes chewing into the untrusting ice. The cold air burnt my lungs, and I saw it become less forgiving as the cloud became more opaque during my exhale. But it wasn’t Mother Nature trying to hurt me, rather it was her strength and beauty trying make me stronger.

The Earth, more wise than I, showed me my capability and revealed my deepest values. Growing up in a home where we fortunately never had to truly struggle, I became reliant and entitled…but nature was humbling and presented to me what really mattered.

The wilderness teaches us something that can’t be learned in a classroom. When you are 20 miles away and 4,000 feet up from any civilization, it forces you to rely on yourself, apply what you know, and when you think you’re and expert, show you you’re wrong.

This is true, especially if you are adding the unpredictability of a New England, tenacious winter to the mix.

But here in New England, we have the foundation and opportunity for lifelong learning, soul strengthening, and encompassing beauty. We can take this literal winter wonderland and run from it, or allow it to teach us something about ourselves that we would have otherwise never known. We can let it invigorate a belief in each other and our individuality, or waste its unfathomable power and elegance.

The endless capability of Mother Nature is unknown, and her uncertainty alarms many…but I believe that everyone can learn something valuable from her, and I look forward to my life-changing lessons this winter, while preparing for the adventure of a lifetime, in the alluring wilderness of New England.