Remembering the woods

I often forget that I live 2 blocks away from a piece of the UW arboretum, which is divided by the beltline (the highway the goes through/around Madison).

So, today, which dawned windy, but with blue skies and crisp air, I decided to reacquaint myself with the Evjue forest. Traditionally, if my family is around Madison on Christmas, we take a walk in this portion of the arboretum. It’s always fairly empty and it’s really nice to crunch along on the snow in the silence. This year, I’m hoping to bring my friend(s) on a walk here on New Year’s Day.

I followed the service road trail and walked through pine forests and oak forests, as well as some prairie. It was startling, as always, to notice the Fitchburg development which abuts the arboretum. When we moved to Madison, the part of Fitchburg that I could see from the crest of a hill was not developed. I used to take my mountain bike and bike up and down this large hill before a road cut through it and then later, where houses were built. Now, if I’m driving to the ‘bux from my parents’ house, I take that same road.

I walked around the woods for about an hour, just getting too cold as I was heading towards the entrance, and down the block to my apartment.