OUTDOOR Adventures

BY BRIAN G. SCHOMMER

Less than a week ago, it was 65 degrees outside, and I was writing about some recent deer hunting adventures. Today, I am looking out the window and it is 25 degrees, snowing, and there is a decent breeze coming from the east. More about the weather and its meaning to many around here in a bit, but first, I need to clarify and apologize regarding last week’s column.

It appears that I should have expounded a little more on the bit about our youngest member taking a grouse on the opener with his rifle. The paragraph should have been written as follows: The youngest member of our party decided that it was also grouse season, and he had his small game tag in possession. While a .308 is not the firearm of choice to bag a grouse, it is not illegal to harvest one of these birds with one. That said, ground pounding any bird that can take flight, except for a turkey, is highly frowned upon. In good, old-fashioned razzing, the rest of the hunters made it clear that this was not the best decision, even though he made a clean headshot with full intent and execution of cleaning and eating the bird. The bird was not left for dead. Several lessons were learned by the young hunter, none less than while something may not be illegal, it still might not be a fully ethical decision.

I apologize to the reader who was upset by the manner to which I wrote the paragraph. As has been stated more than once in the past, this column is a light-hearted approach to appreciating the great outdoors. As a human, I do not always get it right. It appears, like many of my at-bats as a kid, I swung and missed, at least for one reader last week. As I look out the window, it is still snowing, and I know that is getting the blood pumping of many folks who proudly call themselves snowmobilers.

It is not just the snowmobile fanatics that are amazed by the fluffy white stuff falling from the sky. As I gaze out my window, I see two neighbor children staring out their bay window. I can almost sense their anticipation of getting out and playing in the fresh snow. Of course, the cross country and downhill skiers are also experiencing a little extra joy right now. While many of winters favorite activities happen indoors by the fireplace or snuggled up under the blankets on the couch, there are so many outdoor adventures that await during the late fall and winter months that begin to bop around our minds at the sign of the first measurable snow. What are your must do outdoor activities for the Winter of 2022-2023? You may as well start making that list now.

Snowmobiling is on my bucket list for this winter. The Polaris is sitting in the garage patiently awaiting its chance to hit the trails, which are maintained by the local Hastings SnoMos organization. If you are a sledhead and not a member of the club, please consider joining. The club meets at the 2nd Street Depot in Historic Downtown Hastings at 7:30pm the first Wednesday of each month. Information can be found at www.hastingssnomossnowmobile-club. org or if you are social media type, you can find them on Facebook.

Another outdoor adventure that is on the list for this year is ice skating. Growing up in Hastings, a lot of time was spent on the outdoor rinks at Wilson Park, behind Kennedy School, and even the trek to Pioneer Park on occasion. While playing hockey was more in the cards back then, right now, I am thinking that just getting out on skates again will be more than enough as I near my 56th trip around the sun. It is not that my adventurous soul does not think I could still slap the puck around a bit, it is just that more sensible wisdom begins to kick in and remind me that I am a bit clutzy and bones do not heal as quickly as they once did. Time will tell on this one, but either way, the decisions made should lead to an interesting read.

As I look across the street, the youngest neighbor is still in the window, looking out at the falling snow and the look on her face is priceless. As I check social media, the adults are complaining about people forgetting how to drive in the snow, venting about their disgust of the freezing temperatures and voicing their frustration in CAPITAL LETTERS on how much they HATE this time of year and at the same time, a precious little one stands in the bay window expressing shear joy and happiness with a smile that can be seen at a decent distance. My biggest wish for this time of the year is we can all be more like Emma… Now Get Out and Enjoy the Great Outdoors.