The Ides of March

The signs are all around. When I leave for work in the morning, there is light in the eastern sky and my walk to the car is accompanied by an increasing number of bird songs everyday. Oh, sure, to the untrained eye winter still has us firmly in its grasp. A hard icy crust covers the earth, sculpted from the repeated process of melting and refreezing the past month. The skies are still mostly gray, the forecast still bleak. To the observant, optimistic outdoorsman, though, spring is coming, more and more everyday. Yesterday I watched four Sandhill Cranes fly over my house. The day before that brought a couple of vultures circling in the sky. The squirrels in my backyard now have to compete with a chipmunk while foraging for food. All are signs that the natural word knows winter is fading, and the world is waking up.

Inside my house, the signs are no less conspicuous. Maps and guidebooks cover every available counter and table space. The outdoor season is upon us, and everything is possible! Eventually, the constraints of time and money will whittle the possible into the practical. March, though, is for dreaming big. Taking the entire summer to drive to the Pacific Northwest? Why not? Kayaking the inside passage in Alaska? Backpacking El Camino de Santiago across Europe? No idea is un-worthy of study and consideration in the planning phases of the 2013 season. Soon we'll be hauling the backpacks out of storage, organizing the dehydrated meals, cleaning the water filter, waterproofing gear and deciding what items need to be replaced.

Our season will start in a familiar location, with a backpacking trip south to the Smoky Mountains for spring break. Weekend trips in the spring will take us to the Manistee River, the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore, Whitefish Point, and Pictured Rocks. I'll be blogging through all of it, so those of you not up for a hike, or not able to get away right now can come along with us in spirit. The goal is to welcome spring with open arms and greet the waking of the earth personally. From the first wildflowers and raging creeks of the Smoky Mountains to the icy cold and crystal clear waters of the Great Lakes as they thaw, we'll follow spring's slow and steady march north.

Our grand plans for the summer remain in the planning phase, but all of our coming spring trips are listed at the top of the page. I'll blog about the planning and preparation process over the next three weeks before we begin with our trip to the Smoky Mountains. Feel free to use the comment feature below to share any of the ways you'll be welcoming spring, whether it is a multi-day backpack, or just a walk through a neighborhood park guided by songbirds beginning their courtship rituals. It won't be long before we are all infected by spring fever!