Ramblings of a Misanthropic Geek

No Business like Snow Business

I forgot to post this until today.  Due to inclement weather my school was closed on Thursday and Friday, so I had a four day weekend.  My siblings and I love to go sledding.  There is a moderately sized hill in our backyard but there are some logs and my dad's old truck at the bottom.  Also, the ratio of my size to the size of the hill has decreased over the years, which puts a limit on the amount of fun to be had when sledding.  Therefore two of my brothers, my sister, and I went sledding a couple times at the Hollow, the best place in the neighborhood to do so.  It is comprised of a series of slopes that get increasingly hard to navigate and, frankly, more exhilarating.  A large creek runs along the base of the hill, which adds an element of danger, especially when the temperature is above freezing.  Another obstacle is the baseball field, which sits most inconveniently at the bottom of some of the best tracks.

After several runs on the largest and easiest hill, my siblings and I moved on to the smaller runs.  One of my favorites was a course that dipped underneath a fallen tree branch, curved sharply around several trees, and finally launched off an embankment, producing a ride not unlike a trip down a luge track.  Another favorite went off the edge of some concrete stairs, down a very steep and very icy slope, off a four-foot snow ramp, over a two-foot drop, and into the outfield fence.  This bone-jarring, spine-rattling ride was intensified by the presence of mind and coordination needed to brake or bail before crashing into the unforgiving chain fence.  My siblings and I enjoyed going down the calmer hills in twos.  One would face forward and steer while the other would face backward and rely on the driver to tell them when to bail, so as not to fall into the creek.  It was an overall enjoyable experience.  The only detriment was that half of the local high school was there, joined by some college kids who were definetly drunk.  My younger sister had the bright idea to point this out, earning us several angry glances.

Given the fact that Spring has decided to make its entrance, last weekend saw the only snowstorm this Winter which produced enough snow in my area to go sledding.  Goodbye, snow.