Reasons to Get Out. And Stay Out.

The day started in bright sunshine, with frost rimming the trees.  The sunrise behind the Lodge was too pretty not to share.

Guests were out early, enjoying the day. There isn't a lot of snow, but there is a great base to the trails and you can snowshoe and hike just about anywhere.

And it is snowing again this evening. Hard. You can watch the flakes pile up.

 The lake is freezing -- we can hear it snapping and growling as the ice expands.  There is now over 6" of good ice all the way to the Island. (which doesn't mean you can just go anywhere. Always Know Before You Go on Ice





Taffy kept tugging at my sleeve until I took her for the walk she loves -- up to the Lookout. 


Right at the top of the hill we found an antler polishing tree, where the bucks rub the velvet off their antlers before courting the does in the breeding season. It's rough on the trees, but they seem to manage to survive, even with most of the bark rubbed off on one side.

The BMD (Bondi Maintenance Dept.) trademark "Dird" -- a chicken-like symbol that seems to follow the boys around. This one is helping mark the trail.








Beech trees keep all the marks made on their bark, guarding them almost jealously. This one has not only the carved initials of a romance, but lots of bear claw marks where the bears have been climbing up after the beech nuts.










The tiny creek coming down next to the trail is still running, with bubbling determination. The pond is frozen, the puddles are rock hard, but this little trickle comes jumping down, the entire side of the creek rimmed with ice formations.

You could spend an afternoon just exploring that adventurous little run of water, really you could.

Or you could spend some time jumping across it, with joyous abandon.