THE WEATHERMAN PROMISED mostly sunny skies Sunday in southern Minnesota. But predictions and reality don’t always match. Rather than sunshine here in Faribault, grey skies prevailed, matching my mood.
I needed a walk in the woods, an escape. Time to envelope myself in nothing but nature, in the muffled quiet of traversing a snow-covered trail winding through River Bend Nature Center.
There is something about trudging through snow, about pausing to study the bark of a naked tree, about tipping your head upward toward the sky, even if it is grey, that temporarily nudges away heartache.
So I walked with my husband through the sparse landscape of black-and-white. Sparse words. Silence in between. A Robert Frost poem. Only the sporadic cross country skier interrupted our solitude.
Occasionally I stopped to snapshot a scene. When my fingertips ached with cold from photographing birds in 27 degrees, I wove across the patchy ice of the parking lot to our Chevy.
There I photographed my final nature scene on a license plate.
Then our car wound back through River Bend, past snowy woods and a frozen pond, past the razor wire fence and grounds of the Minnesota Correctional Facility, Faribault (which sits right next to the Nature Center), back to reality. Still shrouded by grey skies.
BONUS PHOTOS:
Walking the dogs.
A tag at the base of a tree.
A sign in the woods explains an effort to rid River Bend of buckthorn by utilizing goats to eat the invasive tree.
Goats from Goat Dispatch will also consume these Christmas trees and wreaths dropped off by area residents. The goats will be on-site during River Bend’s January 24 WinterFest.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Brrr. Looks cold but lovely. Even though I know you love the wide open prairie spaces I am glad you could take solace in the woods on this day. There is something about walking in the woods that calms me and brings me closer to God, how about you? Hope it helped you a bit even if the skies were gray.
I’ve always actually liked being in “woods.” But woods that are small in size. Growing up on the prairie, I played all the time with my siblings in the grove of trees edging our farm. We forged paths, rode bikes therein, built treehouses and twine houses and more. So, yes, I like woods. Just not thick and forever acres of trees.
Ah—I see. I misunderstood before as I thought you just did not like the woods at all because of the closed in feeling. Makes sense. 🙂
I can see where you would think that. 🙂
I didn’t realize goats would eat buckthorn. Do they simply let them wander around eating at their leisure?
Like you, I couldn’t imagine anything eating buckthorn with its piercing thorns. But the goats strip down the invasive plant. Check out this page on the Goat Dispatch website: http://goatdispatch.com/managing-invasive-buckthorn/
The goats used at River Bend are fenced in a specific area while doing their work.
The best thing about winter.
Yes, one of the best things for sure.
Beautiful Captures – thanks for sharing the other “white stuff” with me; snow – ha! Happy Day – Enjoy 🙂
You are welcome. Always happy to take you back to Minnesota.
Oh, Audrey, you know I would be eating up this type of trek! But, I am more of a warm weather person. I like winter in the south. Right now we still have remnants of ice and snow, but here it generally lasts just a few days and it’s gone. 40’s and 50’s are winter temps most of the time. I’m not into the bitter cold for endless days. I liked your term, “naked tree”. They are naked this time of year… I just hadn’t heard it said that way! 🙂
I’ve been wondering how you’ve been impacted by all of the nasty weather.
I imagine you grew up with plenty of snow and cold in Nebraska. I don’t appreciate winter like I did as a child. But since I choose to remain in Minnesota (I cannot imagine leaving), I have to try and embrace the elements and landscape, naked trees and all.
There is something magical about a walk through the woods. For me it brings a feeling of peace and tranquility in a world full of distractions. I enjoy the quiet which is occasionally broken by a birds song or that of a woodpecker beating its head on a tree. Collecting my thoughts while maneuvering my way across frozen snow covered trails brings me into another world all to my own. I always have a tendency to become very melancholy after the holiday season. I reflect on all the activities we participated in, the time we spent with friends and family, and enjoying the overall spirit of the season. It all goes too fast!
In my minds eye your pictures bring me back to my winter walks in Minnesota, thanks for the memories!
I think many people share in your post holiday melancholy.
I’m happy to bring you back to your native Minnesota today.
Nature often restores the soul as long as you don’t get frost bitten. Beautiful pictures thanks for sharing.
Good point. When my fingers started hurting, I knew it was time to turn off the camera and get inside our car to warm up.
I love what the folks at Goat Dispatch are all about.
They are the sweetest young family…
Nothin’ like a winter walk in the woods, there is a quietness that adds to the beauty that I notice all around. I hope you were bundled up and stayed warm! I kind of want to see those goats eat the Christmas tree’s… a strange concept to me 🙂
I agree, a strange concept. I can’t imagine anything eating Christmas trees. But the goats consume buckthorn, which I can’t imagine them eating either due to the sharp thorns.
Goats are clearly very useful! I didn’t know they eat Christmas trees! I went for a walk yesterday but there was definitely no snow. But I shared the same grey skies. We’re having a week of rain, rain and more rain. Instead of walking in the rain I would love to have a walk in the snow. Thank you for your lovely comment on my most recent blog post – you really lifted my spirits xx
You are welcome, Charlie.
The sun is piercing the sky with radiant light this morning here in southern Minnesota.
Sometimes a walk is what’s needed. Even in the cold.
I agree. And it wasn’t even that cold on Sunday by Minnesota winter standards. Cold weather is arriving, though, in a few days.