Try another pair of boots

The previous weekend I had not got out of town! Too busy. The weekend before that I had been on a bit of a scamper to try out my new autumnal boots. But this weekend I would have some time for fun, and conditions were predicted to be wintery. I figured that was a good moment to finally test my winter boots! I had bought them almost a year ago! But season had been coming to an end, and I had also been busy.

I was knackered after a long week so I didn't plan to go out too early. When I wanted to have a (not excessively early) breakfast I noticed I had run out of milk. That meant: a trip to the corner shop. That pointed out to me the roads were ice! Oh dear. My driveway was ice too, and it's quite steep. Hm!

Luckily, I had some more coffee to drink, and some packing to do so by the time I was ready to go out all ice had melted away. Good! I had packed warm clothes, crampons and an ice axe just in case.

I had decided to go up the path of which I had done the very beginning a few months ago. All looked different now! And it sounded different too. The hill opposite was clearly the go-to place for the regional children to go sledging. And sledging is best done with some screaming!

 

First snow for the boots!

It was a bit sloshy and snowy but that was good. It gave my boots a bit of a test! Soon I was further than I had been in September. The day was a bit gloomy! It looked like dusk from the very beginning, but at least it was dry and I could see the horizon on all sides. I didn't encounter anyone but I saw footprints in the snow, and at one point I saw two dots in the distance who were undoubtedly the creators of those. I was following the ridge in the general direction of Tryfan and would just see how far I would get.

 

This was close to noon, although it looks like evening

 Snowy selfie

I had started at 11:30 and gave myself two hours to walk up. That would leave me two hours to come down too. By then the light would be running out! And by 13:15 I was hungry so I sat down. I had lunch next to a wall and then decided to come down. I went down cross-countrying; I always had liked the valley but it's a bit swampy. Today that didn't matter!

 

Lunch!

  

Small light patch between the mountains

I had already been quite deep into snow but now it got up over my knees in places. Good! The boots (and the trousers, which were also new) did their job well. I was very comfortable! After most of the way I came across the old tramway we had walked during a swamp hike. I could comfortably walk back!

 Snow up to my knees! The boots had to do some real work. 

 Back on the tramline

It hadn't been a very long or overly exciting walk but the boots have been approved of and I had got some fresh air and some winter feeling. Good enough!