Springtime in Albany

The end of winter has been slow coming this year. Record snowfall made it one of the best years of snowboarding I've ever had but now that the hiking bug has kicked in, it's time for it to go. There is still patches in the woods around Albany and the Peaks are gonna stay blanketed for a while yet but the city is completely snow-free.

My morning walk has gotten decidely more entertaining in the past week or so. The birds are back. Sure, you see a few birds in the winter, some of the hawks stay, Raven's definetly aren't leaving the High Peaks and you hear the occasional call coming from a trailside copse of pines. But the birds are back in the park.

Today I saw: Red-wing black birds, Mourning doves, Robins, Mallards, Canada Geese (coming in for a landing) and Common Grackle

I am overwhelmed and amazed by the sound and action. Flowers are coming up everywhere and green shoots of unknown genus threaten to bloom each day. The tulips have been put in the ground for Tulip Day and my dad has been out fishing.

It's getting harder and harder to take the final steps into the office but I do so knowing that not only will I be in the green and lush woods soon but digging starts soon too so my time in the windowless room is short.

In the coming weeks I'm going to make some posts about this winter's festivities. There was many an epic adventure and countless stories and pictures to sort through. We climbed 3 high peaks this winter and had 20 days on the mountain. We were blessed with so many beautiful days, great views and terrific company. So stay tuned and get amped for some serious in the woods and getting funky time in the near future!