So, what about this ‘Groundhogs Day’? I don’t know a whole lot about it, but every year I wonder what this creature is up to, and how it is somehow responsible for the weather. Sitting on their hind legs, groundhogs kind of resemble a miniture, acorn eating, clover munching grizzly bear. They live in burrows, perhaps under a bridge or along a creek-bank, and hibernate through the winter. From my days of living on the cow farm, I learned that it is indeed a good sign to see a groundhog foraging in the fields, and good weather is on the way.
What February 2nd has to do with anything, I have no idea, but expect it has something to do with another holiday that preceded ‘groundhogs day’ by thousands of years known as ‘Imbolc’ by the Gaelic and Celtic cultures. Celebrated on the same day, Imbolc was the day that was dedicated to the Goddess Brigid, and was situated exactly halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Anyway, it is nice to know that people have been celebrating this day for thousands of years–Hairnt!
What with the warmer weather recently, I managed to sneak in a few hikes. I trekked up the Appalachian Trail towards ‘Curly Maple Gap’ and climbed out onto the Big Boulder that juts out of the side of the ridge like a gigantic shinbone. You can get a nice view from there, and it is just a cool place to be, especially when the sun sets over the ridges. I didn’t stay long enough to watch the sunset, however, because it is a good two-mile walk back to the car, and I wanted to get back before dark (it gets a little spooky there sometimes).
Largest Triplet Falls