Spring Sunset

 From a couple of weeks ago:

Spring is Here

 Spring happiness:

Last snow (probably)--March 27, 2026

We had a really warm three weeks or so and then the forecast called for snow.   It tried a little in town, but I suspected the snow might be having more success in the mountains, so I looked at webcams.  Yes!  On March 27, my work scheduled suddenly got shortened, so I ran home, packed, and caught the bus to the highest place I could get to quickly:  Tesák.  I expected a dusting in the slightly higher and more sheltered villages we passed.  Nothing.  I really expected to see a bit of snow as we began climbing toward Troják.  Nothing until right before the ski area, where the coating was light and patchy.  But by the time we got to Tesák (only about 100 meters / 300 feet higher), I saw this:

And it just got better.

On the wind-blown ridges, the snow was far deeper than I expected.  Since the only footprints before me had given up and gone back, there was nothing to follow and I got seriously off the trail a couple of times, where I sometimes broke through drifts up to mid thigh.  I really wished I'd packed slowly enough to remember my gaiters.   

 Luckily, there were extremely useful trail signs like this:

Some views from ridges:

Snow goblins:

Pretty bark:

The stairs of the viewtower:

I really wished, at that moment, that I'd packed slowly enough to pack my snow gloves.  But I hadn't anticipated this much snow so they weren't pressing on my mind.  It was super windy, and the stairs were snowy and possibly icy, and I knew I would have to hold the railing to feel safe.  But...the railing was snowy. 

If I held it with my cloth gloves, they'd get wet and I'd be miserable the long rest of the hike.  So I took off my gloves and did it barehanded.  I only got about two-thirds of the way up before I knew I needed to head down before they got too numb to function.  I still got good views:

I spent a few minutes in the outhouse (the only place protected from the wind), drying and warming my hands before I put my little gloves back on.

The rest of the hike was beautiful, with the snow in the foreground and the green valley below.  And then the perfect end to a spring hike:

Polička, Czechia

I recently had an hour between my train and bus in Polička, so I went exploring, having no idea how cool the historical center of this little town was.  So, yeah.  Europe's not awesome or anything.  And it's not like I'm a fan of old town walls.

Žaba (Frog) Rock

 An aptly named rock formation near Vsetín, Czech Republic:

And the formation from the other, mossier side:  

Rogue bits of snow, still hiding out in the shade (picture taken Feb 28, after a big warm-up):

River High, River Low

Two things I love about a temperate, four-seasons climate:

-Change

-Rivers

And here you see both together.  Sorry that I didn't get the perspective consistent, but that white graffiti under the bridge is the same graffiti in each picture.

During snowmelt:

Two days later:

Now:

The river was amazing this winter.  First it froze. People scraped snow off perfect rectangles and played hockey on it.  Then it started melting in interesting and sometimes hard-to-explain patterns.  Then sudden warmth turned it into a raging brown torrent full of floating pieces of ice.  As it receded it turned an opaque blue-green, like some glacier-fed rivers I've seen in Alaska and the Alps.  Now it's back to its gentle, crystal-clear state.  So cool.

Another view of a different spot on the same three days.  The path leading down to the river is the same road leading down to the same river.

Snow Friends

I saw this snowbear (snowdog?) on the way home from work a few weeks ago and made him a snowturtle friend.

Editors Needed

So yes, there's a grammar mistake on this expensive-looking, official sign.  Some capitalization and punctuation problems.  But I'm not sure you can blame the altitude problem on language issues.  

I was still very happy they tried English...and it gave me a smile (and delusional bragging rights).  Plus, I suppose that if they'd added mm to the altitude, it might technically be correct.       

   

Frosty Fairy-Tale Walk

 This was the last week in January.  I don't think I need any more words.

Cross-Country Skiing in Velké Karlovice, Czech Republic

Here I am a few weeks ago, cross-country skiing for the first time in many years.  Well, I guess I'm not actually skiing here.  This is one of the steep parts where I would have needed a lot more skill, experience, and confidence to actually ski.  So I walked.  

And here I am actually on the skis:

Some of the scenery I got to see (bits of blue sky!!!):

And the snowbear I helped make afterwards:

The pile of skis in the bus home.  I wasn't the only one who thought cross-country skiing would be good that day.  This was just a regular bus that goes between towns, but you would have thought it was a shuttle in a ski resort.  People were happy, laughing together.  What a great day.

I went about 13 km, however, which was too much for my first time in years.  It uses very different muscles than hiking.  I think my technique is very bad, because at the end, I was like, "Hiking that far would have been far easier."

I hope I get another chance this season.   

Frozen Bečva River

This was the Bečva in mid January, when it froze solid enough that people cleared rectangular patches of snow and played ice hockey on it.

You can see the traces of a hockey rink here:

2024 Reading Challenge

Okay, so this is a year overdue, but I only realized now that I never posted a summary for my 2024 reading list, which I really enjoy doing. 

First, a few stats:  

Total books read in 2024:  50

70% were fiction

38% of the novels were middle-grade (the consequences of working at a library and seeing so many great books in the children's section)

Again, one of my biggest non-fiction categories was Grand Canyon books, followed closely by history/bio/memoir, animals, and language/writing.

Best/most memorable books: (And because I'm writing this in 2026, these book really stood out for me)

How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims.  Slow-burn thriller taking place mostly in a library.

The Last Human, by Lee Bacon.  Middle-grade science fiction with reluctant friendships.

It Happened at Grand Canyon, by Todd R Berger.  Interesting non-fiction accounts of specific events through history at the Grand Canyon.

The Last One, by Will Dean.  A cruise ship where everyone has disappeared.  A great survival thriller until it sort of went off the rails.  

Five Epic Disasters, by Lauren Tarshis.  Very readable non-fiction disaster tales for kids.

49 Miles Alone, by Natalie D. Richards.  A tense YA survival thriller.

The Secret Language of Birds, by Lynne Kelly.  A warm middle-grade contemporary novel...with birds.

Of a Feather, by Dayna Lorentz.  A warm middle-grade contemporary novel...with birds.  And no, that wasn't a mistake.  I for some reason read these back to back, and enjoyed both.

The Memory Palace, by Nate DiMeo.  Hands down the best book of the year:  short non-fiction accounts of strange historical people or happenings, based on the author's podcast.  

2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge

This year I didn't complete my Goodreads reading challenge goal of 50 books, but I read 33 and listened to 10.

Some interesting book stats:

Fiction was only 60%, the second-lowest percentage since I've been keeping track.  

Of that, about 27% were science fiction or fantasy (mostly fantasy).  Of those, my favorite was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab, about a young woman who no one can remember once she's out of their sight.  Really cool premise.  I also really enjoyed The Loss of the Burying Ground, by J Anderson Coats, a YA novel of that rare and wonderful genre that's basically historical fiction of a place that never existed--like fantasy with no magic or supernatural elements.   

About 15% were historical fiction.  My favorite was The Lost Passenger, by Frances Quinn, about a woman and her son who survived the sinking of the Titanic and took the opportunity to escape their old lives.  

Other favorites:

 -Stranded, by Melinda Braun.   A YA survival tale. 

-Tell Me an Ending, by Jo Harkin.  A sci-fi story about people paying to have memories removed.

-None of This is True, by Lisa Jewell.  A creepy sort of women's fiction thriller.

-Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng.  A really well written, character-driven story that takes place just long enough ago to feel not quite contemporary.

-The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett.  Clever and creative comedic fantasy by the king of comedic fantasy.

Nonfiction:

As with most years, the largest percentage (47%) were related to animals.  My favorite was a memoir by a woman who runs an animal rescue farm:  Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals, by Laurie Zaleski.  I also really enjoyed Vanishing Treasures:  A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures, by Katherine Rundell.  

I also read (or listened to) three book about thru-hikes (though they were all larger in scope than just the backpacking):  A Walk in the Park, by Kevin Fedarko (Grand Canyon), The Man Who Walked Through Time, by Colin Fletcher (Grand Canyon), and Wild, by Cheryl Strayed (Pacific Coast Trail).