Spring is in the air: A whimsical guide for your senses
Days are getting longer and you can feel the air thawing out...
We’re on the wonderful cusp of winter and spring, the in-between season when the sun feels warm and the shadows feel cold. Snow is still in the forecast, but underneath these intermittent drifts you know the dirt is starting to wake up.
What does pre-spring feel like in Golden? Here's a tour for your senses:
Leaving hibernation:
The first thing you’ll notice is the extended days, the skies are bluer and the sun sticks around for a bit longer each day, just noticeable so. You’re charging up, feeling a bit more energetic with each passing day and you have more time to do the big adventures, like ski touring or full days at Kicking Horse Mountian Resort. Soon the last gondola will be at 4:30 instead of 3:30 and you can get those late afternoon laps in. Or maybe you have enough steam in the tank to do a full day at Dawn Mountain Nordic Centre on the ski and snowshoe trails. You can pack for a picnic somewhere along the slushy trail.
Smell the alpine:
One of the greatest returns is the scent of deciduous trees to the warming air. At first, this can feel fleeting, you only catch the scent when you happen to be out in a sun-warmed snowy glade on a March afternoon. But, as the month creeps on, the smell can be found floating in town too, or along the Rotary trail in the late morning. This is the second awakening.
Feel the sun:
Once the trees begin to feel the warmth, you will too. On your cheeks especially as you slide the nordic trails or pause on your snowmobiling trip to take in the views. The metal of the snowmobile feels warm and you can sit and admire the mountains without getting a chill. Your big jackets go into the closet to wait for next year’s flurries and out come your lighter layers.
