Just for a visit

 Winter stopped by last Sunday.

We went from no snow at all, to a world dressed in white!

I had some fancy new kicks to try out, so I threw them on and went exploring..

I was hoping the "Glide" wouldn't refer to their performance on snow..

There wasn't enough for snowshoes yet, but a lovely white blanket.

Not quite a monochrome landscape

The temperature hovered right around the freezing mark, so the big, fluffy flakes clung to every surface they landed on.

The wind-damaged trees looked particularly dramatic

It was a bit slippery in the singletrack along the riverbank - more from the mud beneath than the snow itself - but still warranted a bit of care.

Fortunately my inattention here had no unpleasant consequences

Past the Confluence, looking particularly stark in the cloudy afternoon

I don't care to even contemplate how cold that water would feel

Then down into the gloriously snow-encrusted singletrack.

Looking almost like an elaborate confectionery project

Someone had been through with a saw in the past month or two to clear a path past a tree that fell, blocking the trail, so I was able to get through for the first time since mid-summer.

At least I had no worries from mosquitoes!

The shoes seemed to be holding up ok, though the snow did not seem like their intended element.

They were ok while I was running, but strangely slippery-feeling while walking through the tricky bits

It was all very pretty, though.

If a bit mucky here and there

The snow continued to fall - great wodges of white fluff swirling in the breeze

These white stone cliffs look dramatic at any time of year, though

I was having great fun, even after a branch dropped a portion of its load on the back of my neck!

The collar of my jacket being neither high nor snug enough to prevent its entry

A bit of a hole opened up in the clouds as I turned back upriver, showing a bit of pink sunset glow.

Through the muddiest section of trail of them all

I finished up, then had a few errands to run before the shops closed up...but then it was back out in the darkness for a second romp through the winter wonderland!

Such a neat tunnel effect 

I suddenly remembered one of the challenges of taking photos with flash while running on cold nights:

The steam rising off me likes to get in the shot, washing it out a bit

Nonetheless, I was pleased to get in my first snowy night run of the season.

..and to discover the unique effect caused by this lamppost at the edge of a wooded section

The way the wet snow clung to every bit of twig or dried, shriveled flower was astonishing

Winter's strange fruit

It wasn't quite one of those nights where you don't need a headlamp, but it was close!

Or maybe I'm just a bit more of a weenie than prior years?

It was a fun couple of runs, and I was glad to get them in before Monday's sun melted most of the snow away. I'm sure there will be more, but the first few are always so special!

On a walk around the neighbourhood after we got home, it became clear I wasn't the only one who had been enjoying the weather.

A proper carrot nose and all!

After rain earlier this week, there are only a few little dirty clumps of snow left in shady spots, so it looks like I'm back to dirt and mud this weekend...but I'll definitely be dreaming of a white Christmas!