Traveling in solitude can be refreshing for the body and mind
A glance up ahead through the windshield shows nothing but an empty road, curving along the river, slithering its way peacefully to its destination. The rearview mirror paints a similar picture of curvature to where the road began. Trees line the road almost like spectators at a race, cheering me on with each mile slowly driven up road. Only this sporting event is one of a solitary pursuit.
The transmission rarely breaks out of second gear, without the need to even bother shifting into third to go faster. There is no one around, no need to rush. The trees gently sway in the wind, singing their sweet songs with the rubbing of their pine needles. The river bounces down the boulders and the snow crunches beneath the tires. Tuning in my nature stereo without any need to hit the power button on the dashboard. The tunes outside in winter are why I decided to head out for a drive into nature.
With each mile further up the road, my confidence wains. My all-wheel drive Subaru is a champion in the snow, but the undercarriage height of the vehicle raises its own questions. The snow continues to get deeper and begins to gently scratch my transmission and door jam. The fresh tracks out here make any line at a ski resorting waiting to find the same completely worth it.
Normally a snowy drive is one of just a day recreation, getting outside despite what the mercury says and take solace in what frolics and calls this winter wonderland home. The deer at sunset scurry about across the road scouring the landscape for grasses to forage, the bald eagle flies overhead unbothered and unmolested by the haunting sounds of dirt bikes and campfires that plague this area in summer, and even the early season grizzly bear crunches snow itself, underneath its paws in search of its first meal post-hibernation.
The common denominator on a winter driven snowy road isn’t the fresh tracks or the animals or the trees clapping in the wind, but the silence. Winter is quiet unless it wants you to hear it. And if you pay attention, the animals, the trees, the river, and the snow crunching beneath your feet and tires are conversations held in the same vein as the classic question, “if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Wintertime snowy roads are a solitary pursuit for me in order to limit those distractions and listen to what nature has to say. Often it inspires more than just a desire to hit the road, but also encourages to go deeper to come back for more to see what is around that next snowy bend.
OutdoorX4 Magazine – Promoting responsible vehicle-based adventure travel and outdoors adventure
