I am confident that the usual blanket of snow will arrive just a little bit later than expected this year... [so] even if we have springlike conditions in January, we'll find a way to get outside and play. As such, this morning when the weatherman said it would be sunny with temps at about freezing, I decided to go hiking on my favorite short local trail with my 1-year old doberman mix. Since we've had an odd year - snow, melt, ice; I figured that the well-trodden path up Coon Mountain in Westport would be comprised of "the ice formerly known as packed snow"... I channelled my master carpenter husband's advice: "always use the right tool for the job". (Lake Champlain Region)

Kimberly Rielly's (@krielly) recent post "Conquering the Trails: Winter Hiking" offered a refreshing perspective on our so-far-snowless winter. As the director of communications for the Lake Placid CVB/Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, Rielly has every reason to fret the fickle forecasts and fluff-free fallout, but her perennial enthusiasm for the Adirondack outdoors triumphs in this inspiring post. Her bottom line? Give ice a chance!