ta-dah!
I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
-Mae West
Today’s forecast calls for high temperatures that will be tickling 40℉. With windchill, that should translate to something around 31℉, definitely something Waldo and I don’t want to miss on the rail trail. The sky is pale blue and sunny. We had an inch of snow fall last night, but the tarmac, at least the Marlborough part, should be clear enough for an easy stroll. I feel recovered enough from my recent illness to be able to do at least that much, so we head out. Waldo is still peeing a lot, but that’s no problem out here.
Once we get to the trail, I see that the plowed swath is completely clear of snow and ice. I’m not surprised. If the sun is out and its rays can make it to the blacktop, enough heat will be absorbed to melt an inch of snow in no time. The snow off to the side is still quite deep, though, at least 12”. Waldo tries to wander into the deep stuff so he can take a poop. He comes right back to the tarmac, though, because, even when standing, his butt is in the snow. There just isn’t enough room to squat and go. That does make it easier for me to pick up, but I doubt he takes that into consideration. Once done, and I have collected what he has deposited for reposit, he goes to the front end of the leash and we’re off.
Waldo is really happy to be back out here, going for a real walk. He’s prancing around, sniffing at the yellow snow and taking mouth-sized bites of the white stuff. Whenever I stop, he rolls over on his back and makes snow-doggies. We pass several other dogs and their people. Waldo always enjoys a good butt-wiggling, tail-wagging greeting, accompanied by a good sniff in places I would choose to avoid. He also demands his head-pat toll from the people we meet along the way.
The trail in Marlborough is now plowed all the way through the tunnel at the Hudson border. After that, though, it’s deep snow with a narrow trench, just wide enough for one person to walk, of hardpack made by the passage of many feet preceding us. It looks very doable, so I continue on. Waldo is already out front, having not even considered the idea that we might not forge ahead. The going is a bit uneven and a little slippery, but not a slog.
Someone, sometime in the past, painted mile-markers on the trail, every half-mile, from the beginning in Marlborough to 3.0 miles in Hudson. I don’t know why, nor do I know why they stopped at 3.0, but they’re there, on the northbound side of the trail, measuring about 6”, or so, in height. In Marlborough, the plow has exposed them, but they are still buried under more than a foot of snow in Hudson. The 2.5-mile marker, I can find with extreme accuracy, so I dig a hole in the snow and expose it to the daylight. I’ve always wondered what others might think of seeing a deep hole in the snow, perfectly centered around the numbers, “2.5”, in the midst of undisturbed whiteness. While I’m doing that, Waldo is making snow-doggies, not far away. I can’t find the 3.0-mile marker, though I do kick the snow around a bit.
After we turn around, somewhere around 3.125 miles from the start, and head back, we pass our friend the bicycle enthusiast and his bike. We’re still in Hudson, in the no-plow zone, so he’s not riding it, he’s carrying it. He may be intrepid, but he’s not crazy. Waldo gives him a a tail-wag and he and I exchange comments about the Hudson no-plow zone. I didn’t ask, but I wonder if he lives in Hudson and walks his bike until he gets to Marlborough and then rides it there. I didn’t think to ask him because I’ve come to feel that such behavior is the most natural thing in the world. Why would anyone question it? I’ve certainly seen more bizarre stuff out here, like a 2.2-mile-long path cleared by a snow shovel.
By the time we get back to the car, I’m tired and sore. It’s been just over a month since the last time Waldo and I have done the whole 6 miles. At my age, I find that I lose my physical conditioning fast and it takes a while to regain it. The long-term forecast predicts no significant snow and temps in the 30s and 40s for the next two weeks, so I’ll have a chance to get back into shape before the spring thaw.
Right now, Waldo seems quite pleased with our walk and ready for dinner.
I’m looking forward to my recliner.
Out there somewhere, under all that snow, is a 3.0 marker.