New Year 2010 - Snowfall adds some unexpected fun to our volunteer task.

The cold snap continued after the Christmas holidays and greeted us all with varying difficulties on returning to work. It meant several cancellations in the first week of planned activities and wasn't till the second week in that we could actually reach the Trust's minibus to begin getting back to normal. All the reserves were still covered in snow and remained pretty treacherous, so we decided to concentrate on making life a bit easier back at the Tees Valley offices in Margrove. Thanks to the Thursday groups willingness to help out we spent most of the day clearing snow from the rear parking and helped to make the tool store and paths more accessible. 


Stepping from the minibus that morning was like receiving a cold slap in the face from a metal spatula, but we knew just the thing to warm ourselves up. Good honest hard work! And after a warming cup of tea, that's exactly what we got on with. It didn't take as long as we thought to clear down to the tarmac and by lunchtime we had pretty much finished for the day. Not that we let that bring an end to the fun. 


Before the sun went down we had just enough time to go for a walk up to the top of Birkbrow. We followed a direct route beneath the close canopy of pine and larch, while taking time to stop and look at the animal tracks left over from the mornings hunting and foraging. We saw deer and rabbit footprints, and in places the latter were followed by stoat footprints, which lengthened in pace as the chase began. Unfortunately we did not see any of these animals in the flesh, but could imagine what had taken place. Though gloomy to begin with, we found ourselves walking through patches of bright light where the sun pierced spear-like to the woodland floor. 

We were heading in to the sun as we eventually broke free of the canopy and crested the hill onto the broad-lit moorland. Here the snow had become at least a foot deep on the flat and three feet deep in the drifts. We ploughed on to the real summit and spent some time looking at the view.