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Finally, Spring Arrives in the Northwoods
The AuSable River can soften and renew a spirit that has been worn down by the stress of a busy and out of control life.
As I stood at the kitchen window that faced south toward the gravel parking lot of our canoe livery and fly shop, I felt the breeze drift in. I stopped what I was doing, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. The freshness of the air was glorious.
Even though my two younger children were at the dining room table waiting for lunch, I made myself stand there and embrace the warm air. It only takes one Up North winter to learn that you do not take a moment like this for granted. After a few slow, deep breaths, I could sense it. Pine. There is nothing more invigorating than the scent of fresh pine as it lingers in the air. It’s one of the reasons I love living Up North.
Living in northern Michigan requires a kind of hardiness of spirit because the winters, while breathtaking in their beauty, are something to endure. To appreciate what it is like to travel the long journey of the winter months and come out on the other side to spring, you have to experience it fully by living in the Northwoods. It is not enough to come up for a weekend or two. You have to feel the transformation of the air, as crisp fall days slowly turn cold and then bitter. You have to witness the snow that falls before Thanksgiving, continues until early April, and is punctuated by hearty snowstorms. By the time March arrives your bones ache for spring, and any sign no matter how small gives you hope that warm, leisurely days on the river will soon arrive.
Those earliest signs of spring can be elusive. Even when the snowdrifts are still so deep that you sink to your waist, the air can carry the subtle but unmistakable warm scent of spring. It is a sign that the pines and the hardwoods are stirring as they approach the end of a long hibernation. I was snowshoeing through the path in the wood at the back of our property when I got my first trace of the softening of the trees. I maneuvered my snowshoes over and around a fallen tree, when the wind whistled through the needles and caught me full in the face. I stopped, put my face in the air, and inhaled deeply the distinct and unmistakable warmth and freshness that signaled spring. It was at that moment that I knew the days would be different. My mood and my attentions shifted to spring.
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Kim Priestap is a freelance writer, blogger, and business owner. She lives in northern Michigan with her husband and three young children. When Kim is not caring for her kids, writing, or working, she can be found canoeing, fly fishing, or shopping.
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15 Comments
1. Michael:Nice read to start the day with. Went very well with my morning coffee. Enjoy the season.
May 30, 2009 - 4:35 am 2. Julie:Thank you for this. I really enjoyed it–makes me want to visit the north woods of Michigan and see the AuSable River.
May 30, 2009 - 4:45 am 3. Ozzie:Around 7 years ago I rode in a two deck riverboat on the AuSable river. During fall color season, every tree crowded riverbank was a painting of extraordinary delight. The auther mentions the power of the smell of the enviroment, and to good effect, but you actually have to be there to understand the depth of the experience. During the winters, the cold bites your nose, but it’s the cleanest air. In summer, the forests and the river have powerful scents of vegetation, cool water, and of course the pine. It’s like the power setting has been turned up when your used to urban dwelling.
If you have your own money, you can grab a house around there very very cheap. The Democrats have driven a stake into the heart of the state, and the economy is dying like a fish out of water. If you have an independant income stream and don’t need to work, it’s wonderful.
May 30, 2009 - 4:45 am 4. Corky Boyd:Interesting.
I have always felt spring in the north is the most delightful time of year because of the scent of the earth. The smells from microorganisms and earthworms breaking down the organaic matter repalace the sterile, inert non smells of winter. They go away in November when the ground freezes, and return in April and May
Spring is a delight.
May 30, 2009 - 6:00 am 5. WR Jonas:I could tell you were genuine when I read the phrase “up north.” Only long suffering Ganders use that term.
May 30, 2009 - 6:06 am 6. Pet Campbell:What wonderful insight and vision.
The trillium was a special gift!
Growing up in Alpena, we had the Thunderbay river.. then
as we got older lake Huron..
The lake of majesties!
Thanks Kim for renewing my memories of a State
May 30, 2009 - 7:58 am 7. Delia:long years behind me.
We are finally getting some Spring in WA state and it is so gorgeous to behold. The only downer is that my allerigies are off the charts and the nicer [i.e. sunnier] the Spring and Summer, the more my allergies rear their snotty omnipotence over my enjoyment of an otherwise perfect time of year.
A-CHOo!
May 30, 2009 - 9:34 am 8. DW:Excellent piece Mrs.Priestap,
I live in the Sierra Nv foothills and I too love when Spring finally comes. Here is a pic of my favorite hiking spot:
http://sierracountychamber.net/lakesbasinphotos.html
May 30, 2009 - 10:24 am 9. Webutante:Nice piece, Kim. Have never been to Au Sable river though country though it sounds wonderful. However, I’ve fished the Au Sable wulff many times and caught a good number of trout on it in Jackson, WY and Tennessee and places in between. Nice to know you fly fish and write.
Tight lines!
May 30, 2009 - 10:46 am 10. Andrea Shea King:I just spent Memorial Day weekend traveling the winding road of the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina, and it evoked the same awakening of the senses that Kim describes.
The scent of sweet grass mingled with the fragrance of honeysuckle has to be exactly what heaven smells like. Mountain air that’s piney clean and sweet, quiet except for the occasional bird caw and tweet, and the wind whispering through the treetops. The views were magnificent – from the mountain meadows to the spectacular vistas of the Great Smokies.
The tulip trees, maples and birches were in dressed in soft spring green, as were the ferns that grew along the roadway hillside. Azaleas in vivid riots of flaming orange, yellow and varying shades of rosy pink contrasted with the purple and lavender rhododendron, a feast for the eyes. (And one that rivals the autumnal foliage show.)
Spring — the hope of man’s soul. It “springs” eternal. It invigorates the spirit.
Thanks for such an evocative piece, Kim, that put me there with you at your kitchen window.
May 30, 2009 - 11:01 am 11. Donald:Great piece. I’m looking forward to coming home next month. Michigan is a great state and I hope to retire there within the next few years once I’m done with my current line of work.
May 31, 2009 - 8:52 am 12. Bug-Eyed Buckeye:We had to sell our beautiful “Up North” home on the shores of Lake Huron last fall and relocate to Ohio for — what else — jobs, and what we’ve missed more than anything is that first breath of spring.
Fortunately, we were able to get up over Memorial Day, which was lovely, and will be back for several more weeks mid-summer – and like spring, there’s nothing so close to heaven as a northern summer.
But oh! that first breath of up north spring you so beautifully described. Once we reach retirement age, we’ll be back! Thank you for a lovely respite.
May 31, 2009 - 4:09 pm 13. michiganruth:thanks for the article, Kim! as a lifelong Michigander I am so sad about our beautiful state and the tough times we’re going through now–times that promise to get even tougher. thank you for telling people about another side of Michigan.
May 31, 2009 - 6:34 pm 14. MCMJR:In June 1955, I was seven, my father loaded the trunk and roof carrier of the family ‘53 Plymouth with a Sears tent and the latest in Coleman camping gear. And off we journeyed from Buffalo through Canada to far off Higgins Lake State Park. A downpour drenched everyone the first night. Fortunatley, Mom’s cousin had a ‘notty-pine’ cabin on nearby Houghton Lake. Back then both lakes were quiet retreats where only a few small outboards plyed the otherwise still waters. During that trip was the only time I saw a steam locomotive. I can still hear the whistle over the roar of the engine as the Plymouth raced along side through the Ontario country side… Fifty years later I captured a little piece of that far off time when my wife and I purchased a cabin, built in 1958 and nestled in the Huron National Forest, not far from the Au Sable.
Jun 1, 2009 - 8:36 pm 15. Michael Crosby:Kim, What powerful emotions your writing evokes in me.
I live in Los Angeles, and this summer my wife, dog and I are driving to New Hampshire and Maine for vacation.
I remember visiting New England when I was much younger. While I’m walking by myself down an unknown gravel road, the beauty and smell of the forest, the quietness of nature, just brought tears to my eyes.
Those are the times I cherish the most, and when that joy wells up inside me, all I can do is thank God for allowing me to experience his wonderment.
Jun 3, 2009 - 1:32 am