It isn't exercise, it's living

Last night I was looking up reviews for light raincoats for hiking. I came across a blog with a long unbiased review. The writer was from the northeast so I checked out his blog. It was very interesting. I stumbled upon the above phrase "it isn't exercise, it's living". It immediately hit me like a pillow case full of bricks. That five word phrase got me thinking.
 Over the last five months I have lost about fifty pounds. I run a lot and bike ride. However the weather is getting cold . My biggest fear in the world is that I will put the weight back on over the winter and worse than that, get out of shape again. I joined the Attleboro YMCA, so I can keep up with working out the next four months. However, I will hate it. I'd much rather go for a four mile run than to the gym, but that is not an option when there are three foot snow drifts.

Do not get me wrong I'm still outside all winter. If there is ice, I ice fish. Many night I'm chasing wintering stripers. Most of my outdoor time in the winter is fishing. During work days, daytime fishing is out of the question, since I am usually getting home as the setting sun is nearing the horizon, that is why I concentrate on the stripers. As for hiking, one can't hike when there is two feet of snow.

This fall I bought snowshoes, so that solves my problem of hiking in snow. Still, I admit, snowshoeing around here doesn't excite me.  I want to see the big scenery of the White Mountains. The thought of going to the same old state parks that I got bored with years ago, did not entice me. Part of the reason for this (upon some soul searching) is I have been spoiled. The White Mountains are fairly close, that I'd rather save my energy and gas money for a trip to New Hampshire once a month than short jaunts to Myles Standish State Park. So instead, I fish. quite happily and without regret.

I used to go bird watching a lot. DJ and I would hit multiple spots on a winter day. We would shoot for fifty species over a weekend. I sort of got out of that too. I think, that once I saw all the big mammals out west, I didn't appreciate the woodpeckers and ring neck ducks as much.

After stumbling upon that quote, I started thinking about snowshoeing and wintertime hiking. I realized that it has been a while since I went birding.  Some of the places I got bored with, I now miss seeing. So I think once a week, on one of my two days off, I am going to plan trips to some winter time destinations within an hour from home. I have researched some Audubon Sanctuaries in MA and R I. There are beaches that get no visitors during the winter. I plan on exploring them. I will still fish just as much, but one day off a week will be about hiking, snowshoeing, and birding.

  One plan I already have is a day in Newport. A late morning start would get me to the Cliff Walk around noon. A nice walk behind the mansions and back to the car would take a couple hours. Follow this up with a late lunch at one of the pubs or more likely Becky's BBQ. After lunch a hike at Sachuest right before dark pretty much guarantees seeing deer with a better than average chance of seeing an owl.

Doing stuff like that once a week will get me in touch with nature again. Maybe I will come across old relics in abandoned farms at Audubon sites. I want to enjoy those little things more. Plus and most importantly, it will be a day to stretch my legs outside instead of a gym. Hopefully I can find some places to build up a good sweat but stop to see a meadowlark. After all a good day outdoors isn't exercise it's living.