The first hike of spring...it's finally here!

Every mountain paints a different picture, and every forest sings a different song. Today the picture was full of bright colours, sparkling eyes, and large grins. The song was that of laughter and good conversation.

The first hike of spring. Ahhhh...can you feel it? The light breeze. The sun warming up your skin and the trees, readying them to bloom. Perfect. A mountain is the perfect setting for a Sunday of enjoying the arrival of Spring. Today was no exception to that.

It felt great to be hiking without snow pants, parka, gloves, and hat. My pale skin could breathe in the fresh mountain air. My "ginger" skin held true to its character and turned a light shade of pink from the glorious rays of sun peaking through the tree branches. I even gained some new freckles, and got a squinting headache. Not that I love headaches, but it was acceptable for today. As much as I love winter hikes for the glistening snow crunching under my feet, and clinging to tree branches, it does feel awesome to be back in lighter gear, and feeling the breeze and the sun on my skin.

Of course the company contributed a great deal to the pleasure value of today. I was accompanied by my friends, Kevin and Matt, and we were hiking in their neck of the woods, Boksu-dong. If mountains have ears then this one had a good show today, mostly thanks to Matt's phenomenal sense of humour, and Kevin's quick quips back. I did a lot of listening today, which is not exactly normal for me, but today it was necessary to absorb the verbal circus surrounding me. It was refreshing, hilarious, and the perfect team for the the first hike of spring.

Everything about today was beautiful. Thanks boys for a wonderful welcome of Spring and all of the joy that comes with it!