It is challenging enough to wake up EARLY on a Sunday morning, but to prepare for a 6 mile hike in single digit weather? That really put the icing on the cake. Yes, it was 9 degrees on January 10th, when I ventured out at 7:30 a.m. to meet my team of hiking buddies in South Mountain Reservation. I have a motto to do something that scares me everyday, and for today, this was it.
I arrived on time, prepared to fight the wind and cold with two layers of pants, three layers of tops, and a full face mask. My backpack was equipped with survival equipment: tissues, snacks and mini-handwarmers. I also had my "spikes" attached to my pack...more about those later.
The smell of the ice-covered trails and the sounds of the crunch from our hiking boots took my mind off of the frigid temperature. My sister Carra and I caught up on a week's worth of stories, which in part were muffled due to the full face masks that we were wearing.
The scenery was breath-taking. I was in awe of the "sleeping water fall". It was so still, waiting to be awakened by t
he warmth of spring. 
We stopped for a moment to get a drink and any other materials from our packs. Many people noticed that their hydration pack's mouth piece was frozen. They had to blow into the mouth piece to release the ice, and take a drink. Lucky for me, I had large water bottles that did not freeze. I opened up the portable hand-warmers and slipped them into my gloves. I hadn't used them before, but it was like having the warmth of a living room fireplace in the palms of my hands. I was ready to explore some more!
Our hike continued for 3 1/2 hours. The challenge of the frozen-glazed earth, made for slippery downhill trots and uncertain footing on snow covered trails. It was necessary for us to put on our micro-spikes or our coiled footwear. As you can see from the picture of Carra's and my boots, there are different types. Carra's have some serious spikes, making it easier to dig into the ice. Carra (on many occasions) had to stop to unhook her spike from the ice and to remove branches from her gear. My footwear was a coiled attachment, and seemed to provide the right amount of traction.
We circled behind Turtle Back Zoo, where we saw a beautiful mountain lion in his cage. He seemed to be moving slowly on this cold January day. We stopped on different occasions to capture the scenery and to enjoy the bond that we as a group were starting to develop. 
Our day ended with a chance to hang from tree vines (literally, just like Tarzan would do!), and to watch in awe of water-fall climbers. It was a day of rejuvenation, challenge and appreciation for Mother Nature. And surprisingly enough, what started out to be "scary", ended up being really exciting and worth the challenge!
