Winter storms can be both a boon and a bane. There may be damages to property, even loss of lives. But for most New Yorkers who got walloped by a nor'easter very recently, nothing can get in the way of staying out active. Or getting out there in the cold. Even with all that heaps of snow - or rather because of it.
Since the powdery white stuff fell on a Friday and the weekend weather forecast was sunny, we immediately planned to hit two areas popular among outdoorsy New Yorkers: Central Park in Manhattan the following day and the Catskills Mountains in upstate New York on Sunday. Perfect active weekend I must say.
Central Park in winter is just pure joy. By the time we got into Central Park on a brisk mid-morning, there were many people both young and old all over the sloping parts, skidding down on sleds, gleefully shrieking their hearts out. Winter wonderland is never captured as a free-for-all Disneyland as this in the heart of New York's green lung.
Despite the long day spent at the park, we managed to get up early Sunday morning to join other New Yorkers for the 2-hour drive to our trailhead. White wilderness of course was what we were after, something so different as the views offered by summer. There wasn't the same mass euphoria we saw in Central Park but the idea of snowshoeing in a wild setting was just too exciting. It was my first. Six miles at that.
For those two days, my camera took a beating from the cold. But thankfully, it performed pretty much as well as it did in hot Africa. Including the above picture, these were what it captured:
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| Can't wait for summer? |
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| Winter bride |
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| Bethesda Fountain |
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| Sledding on Bethesda Terrace |
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| Free thrills for all |
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| No ski pass needed here |
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| Did we order snow? |
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| Lovers in wintry intimacy |
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| Up in the Catskills |
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| Snowshoeing is a great work-out |
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| Six beautiful miles to go |
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| Crossing a stream |
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| Wilderness in winter will never look the same in summer |
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| Up a steep ascent to the summit |
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| My default to-go lunch from Starbucks |
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| Resting at the peak with a thermos of hot chocolate |
I cant help but imagine the characters of The Catcher in the Rye while looking at your photos, Dennis. I really like the Black and White photo! Coming from a tropical country, the sight of snow (even in pictures) make me smile. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would 'rush' winter if im in NY (referring to your 2nd photo).
Thanks! After more than a decade living in New York, winter is something I've come to love. I tend to sleep well when it's cold outside and of course, New York always look pretty with snow blanketing the city.
DeleteWow, life still does go on even though it's winter eh, weddings, sleddings, and wearing a wife beater! Awesome photos, as always!
ReplyDeleteThanks as always.
DeleteI'd hate to remain sedentary even when it's very cold.
Oh snowshoeing is in my bucket list. Not skiing. I never aspired to learn how to do that but snowshoeing is my desire. Lucky you.
ReplyDeleteWith beauty like this, sometimes I wish that I live somewhere where there is snow. Well that wish lasted a nanosecond :)
This week our forecast is 70s all week long.
Don't rub it in haha! Just got back from San Juan where it's in the 80s and found NYC today shivering in 29 degrees Fahrenheit!
DeleteI only tried to learn how to ski once and I don't intend to embarrass myself again :)
To someone like me whose memory of snow was only that of Yosemite's ages ago, this post is surreal. All photos are incredibly beautiful, Dennis! So crisp I can almost feel the chill on my screen! Everything's postcard-worthy, including your portrait on the last frame! :)
ReplyDeleteMaraming salamat Doc Gelo! Haven't even gone to Yosemite, buti ka pa, naunahan mo ako - would love to go hiking there in the summer.
DeleteThe first picture was postcard material. Your travels seem to be really nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Traveling keeps us sane :-)
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