Walking With Nature: Winston Woods in February

After hours of watching the Olympics, I got up the courage to venture back to Winston Woods on February 24 despite the ice and snow.  No trails were marked out for ski races and there is no halfpipe for snowboarding tricks, but parts of the creek bed sere completely covered with ice. They looked as though Mother Nature was trying to make a luge track.

Other parts of the creek were no longer totally frozen. The rains and higher temperatures melted the ice cover off the creek near the foot bridge. If you dropped a stick or stone in, it would splash. Here and there a fallen tree provided—and still provides—a bridge over which squirrels could cross the creek.

Frankly, though I love Winston Woods, it is not my favorite place to walk in February, at least this year. The path that wasn’t too hard to navigate in January snow was compacted and iced by rain, thaw and refreeze. It was easier to walk beside the path, where my boots sunk deep into the crusty snow, than on the path itself. The path is full of icy footprints, an invitation to slip and fall. I found a sturdy stick to carry in case I needed it for balance.

When I hiked the snowy path in January, the snow looked clean. Now it is peppered with flecks of brown or black. A few late-falling leaves lie on the snow. Nevertheless, it is much cleaner and prettier than the snow accumulation along Bolingbrook streets.

As I walked, I was tempted to speculate on what spring would bring to Winston Woods. What wildflowers will bloom and when? What insects will show up when the snow is gone? What birds? What four-legged creatures? I soon decided I should just enjoy what the day had to offer—blue sky easily seen between the bare branches of trees and glistening off snow and ice, the multitude of interesting textures of tree trunks and of the snow, the distant song of a bird I could not identify, and the fresh scent of the air. I was grateful for the day, the woods and the walk.

© Wilda Morris