The Steps

As winter came along and the backcountry got covered in snow I started having difficulty finding a place to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

I was fairly surprised to find myself returning to the stairs that lead up the back side of Castle Hill at least once a week.

When the snow started coming down I was sure it would be hard to navigate that steep hill, but at least it was a defined path (not to mention a handrail), and what lovely views when you stop for a minute and look back.

When it started getting really deep I brought along a small shovel to add to the exercise.  Of course that meant more shoveling than walking, but at least I was outdoors.

I wasn't the only one taking a walk there, so the center of the stairs was packed down hard and often all I could do was brush off the sides.

Finally we got a warm up, and I took a sturdier tool along to start chipping away at the ice.

B'ys, let me tell ya, lying down in that cold snow felt good after I cleared off the first flight of stairs all the way across!

Of course, there were plenty of stairs left above to tackle another day.

I haven't been back in a week, and we actually got above freezing again the last few days.  But I needed a break from the steps so I did my walking in Argentia instead. I'm actually leaving tomorrow for my big trip across the Maritime Provinces so maybe by the time I get back Mother Nature will have done most of the work for me?