PAS#2: Hiking in the Snow

 

For this week passion blog I am actually going to talk about what I did two weekends ago when we had that little snowstorm.  For me I was expecting a lot worse, but when the snow was done on Saturday and the road cleared I headed out to go for a hike. 

About ten minutes drive from Penn State is a place called Shingletown.  It is named after the little town it is next too.  Shingletown is a series of trails located in Rothrock state forest. 

During the summer and warmer month I like to go running along these trails at Shingletown, it is a lot more engaging way of running than the monotony of running around a track.  Unfortunately, due to the weather I was regulated to hiking at Shingletown in the snow on this particular weekend.  Which was a very neat experience.

The first thing I noticed was how beautiful the forest was with the newly fallen snow being unmolested by animals or humans, while also veiling all the vegetation in the forest, everything was white.  Even though the snow had stopped, inside the forest it was still snowing as every little breeze of wind would blow some of the fresh snow out of the trees. 

The appearance of the environment was the real motivation for me to get out and hike the trails.  Even though I probably had hiked that area fifty times in my life everything seemed foreign to me.  I describe it as the feeling when fall comes and all the leaves fall of the trees, new things can be seen that were once hidden behind the leaves.  This change in environment always makes me feel like I am lost.  That is what I felt like while hiking. 

Asides from the wonders of fresh snow and the illusion of being lost hiking is really enjoyable as you are in a quiet peaceful place, a kind of solidarity that is hard to find on the bustling campus that is PSU.  If you live in Atherton you are constantly listening to the traffic along college Ave.  It is amazing how short a distance you have to travel to feel like you are completely alone...in a good way.

You are free from whatever worries you had throughout the week for as long and as far as you would like to go.  The rejuvenating effect for me is more than just mental though.  Even though hiking in snow is physically hard work.  I felt better and more energized during and after than I had all week.  

I highly recommend that everyone should make time to explore the surround area of State College; if hiking is not your thing there are plenty of other cool things to do in this area, if you are a fan of nature.