woods gulch

todd and i just got back from a long hike. it was about 75 minutes straight upa hill (whew!) and then 25 minutes down. most of the hike was along this gulch,and a tiny stream trickles through it - mostly frozen. at the top of the gulch,the mountain has a flat-ish spot where it levels out. not quite as steep there,but suddenly there was a foot and a half of snow because there weren't any treesthere, either. that was tough. at the top of the mountain runs an old loggingroad, where you can walk across the mountainand loop back down onto the trail.when we hit the road, it was relatively flat, of course, but we were walkingsouthwest straight into the wind. it was COLD. i pulled my hat down but itdidn't attach to my face so it was more like a tunnel, or a sail, collecting thewind by my ears. i kept my head down (after i took a few pictures) and justmarched over to the place where the trail started back down hill -- and backinto the trees. the hike down was fast and quiet.

now we're home. doing dishes, making tortillas.

according to merriam-webster unabridged:
gulch : : "a deep or precipitous cleft in a hillside : a ravine or gully; especially : one that is short, steep-sided, and occasionally occupied by a torrent."