Hand Hollow

The season's first snow graced the area today with nothing more than a coating to an inch, but it was enough to get everyone in full winter mode.  The snow left a gentle coat of white on everything before daybreak but the day had trended to drying out until I started driving out to Hand Hollow in the late afternoon.  Hand Hollow is a Columbia Land Conservancy property in rural New Lebanon with several miles of trails, as well as a few small beaver ponds and a larger pond, called Meizenger's Pond.  As I pulled into the parking area, the snow began to accelerate.

                       

A short walk on the well marked trail leads down to the shoreline of Meizenger's Pond.  A small bench makes a nice resting spot to relax and observe the wildlife.

 The pond is partially freezing over and the snow is covering the ice.

 A view towards the bay like area of the shore.

 The walk through the woods is very pleasant as the snow falls quietly all around you.

 There is a serenity that a walk through the freshly fallen snow has that is hard to match.

 There are two separate entrances to the property so after a short walk to Meizenger's pond, I headed back to the car and then drove back to the other parking area.  This area allows access to a large meadow and several small beaver ponds.  The view across the meadow with the snow blowing across.

 Snow falling on traffic along County Route 9.

 The quiet and solitude is hard to beat.

The first snow always brings out the child in me.