In mid-December there is sometimes too little snow for snowshoeing, but we can still hike in the hills, using old double tracks to climb into the hills.    It helps to use good boots, to wear gaiters, to use poles, and to carry traction devices.    On this day I did a 4 hour loop hike on double tracks, single tracks, and off-trail, mostly exploring.    Along the way, there were a few deer, two squirrels, crows, and numerous tracks, but mine were the first human tracks that I could spot.  

Uplands ponds were frozen over.   Some care was needed on the off-trail sections since we can’t tell what is under the snow.  

On the way back down the fog and mists started to clear.  

On this day I investigated two old homesteads, two mine sites, a number of ponds, and whichever tracks and trails I chose along the way.  A few images from the half-day hike are shared here.    Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.

Soon I will be doing the same at higher elevations, on snowshoes, exploring tracks, trails, and routes through the hills.