Winter has its own appeal. Snow makes the landscape drastically different from the other seasons such that the hiker may well be transported to a whole other planet.

But winter hiking can also be proportionately more hazardous compared to hiking in the other seasons. This I found out when I hiked to Upper Indian Ladders Falls last winter. The trail was barely visible under the patches of snow and what paths were exposed were mostly iced. The downward slope to the top of the waterfall did not help either as it could strike fear in the hearts of many such that the hiker may well turn around and flee. Which was precisely what I did last winter.

This time though, I came back in early spring. And what a difference a season change makes. Gone are the snow and ice and the dangers that come with them. Although the vegetation wasn’t yet lush and the birds weren’t exactly chirping, the vibes felt completely different. My perceptions of risk and hazard were gone. I was back in my elements.

Then, of course, summer will come and this place will be a knockout. Few things beat the visual of a waterfall in the heat of summer with its attendant mist spray cooling down the hiker.

Come fall, Mother Nature will just be showing off. Her fall colors will be what would set Earth apart from all the other planets in the Universe.

Then we’re back. We’ve come full circle. It’s winter again. No bad things need happen but the mood would feel ominous just the same. It’s time to hunker down.

And that, perhaps, is what makes winter appealing in its own way. What we may perceive of as the end, may simply be the dawning of a new beginning.