FIRST DAY OF SPRING: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019. WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN SIGHT?
Spring. Rebirth. Rejuvenation. In our neck of the woods, the world wakes from its winter slumber. Sunshine slowly begins to displace mostly cloudy, dreary days. Daytime highs creep up and will soon surpass the "not able to wear tee shirts outside yet" threshold. Lowland snows are flushed and the snowline begins its slow creep up and up and up the mountainside. Soon...only the mightiest peaks will don a crown of white.
I don't know a soul who doesn't relish a bit more of the sun's warm glow on the skin. I live where I live for many reasons, and a big one being that I embrace the seasons. Fully. All of them. Which means I must also, wholeheartedly, embrace change.
Personally, there are three major changes with the coming of the spring:
1. It is impossible to not feel a growing sense of hope, joy, and adventure. In winter, many of us adventure as much as possible, however, the fact remains that the harsh elements will limit our ability to remain out-of-doors. As the days lengthen and the earth's tilt shifts, we are able to enjoy more time outside in the lessened elements.
2. For many of us, our big winter storms are over. We've gotten in some great pow days. Now, the intensifying sun will change the conditions of our favorite ski mountain or nordic trail. Heavy and technical gear will be replaced with sunglasses and even bare skin (careful...snow rash is a real thing and sunburns will begin to run rampant!). Our area may still get a good snow dump or two before the resorts close but it'll be a heavy, wet covering, and will disappear sooner than later. Techniques change, waxes change, even where we ride or ski changes.
3. The spring flush of our favorite river looms near. It varies by location... here in Boise things are a bit more mild than what I'm used to seeing on the Montana side of the divide. Reservoir waters are already gushing over the tops of the spillways. The river has already swollen to 5 times its winter flow. In western Montana, ice jams still claim many of the major rivers. The tailwaters (usually remain ice-free for the most part all winter) won't swell there for another month or two as the low-level snow won't melt and fill the reservoirs for a while yet. But be prepared for when they do. Here as well, tactics change, location changes, where the fish hold changes, when to fish changes. Heck, the river channel may be almost unrecognizable after the high flows recede.
(MAKE SURE YOU KEEP FOLLOW OUR INSTAGRAM/FACEBOOK FEEDS AND KEEP CHECKING REGULARLY FOR TIPS AND TRICKS ON SPRING SEASON ADVENTURING)
This is a lot of shifting...probably the most change we see in a given year is unfolded in this transition from winter to spring. It's uplifting, exhilarating, and sometimes even overwhelming. As our energy comes alive in the warming months, I'd urge you to use it as a "spring" board (see what I did there?? ha!)... use it as a platform, a canon, a guide, to keep your life's flow in-tact and on-track. Ride the rising tide and check in with your personal progress, your personal goals, or if you haven't thought about that in a while, a time to use the vibrancy of the world around you to create some. It's easy to be lulled into the mundane day to day (especially through a dreary winter....sorry winter....I really do love you) so spring is the perfect time to make sure you get back outside if you haven't, to reconnect with the natural world around you, to make sure you're centered and aligned with your true self, and to consciously practice that every day.
Be safe out there in those changing conditions! Avalanche danger is heightened and flowing water is so much more powerful that we realize...those rising rivers can be extremely dangerous. Always be aware and adventure only within your means or make sure you have someone with you that knows the what they are doing out there.
Cheers,
-Nic