Good Relations Mean Weathering Storms

I have been slack over the winter holiday season and have not been doing a great deal of writing.  That does not mean that I haven't been busy though.  My full time job allows me to spend time outdoors and I feel grateful for that.  One of the more recent things I have been tasked with is monitoring precipitation amounts here in our region and honestly it has brought me more enjoyment and thought than I anticipated.  Below is the thoughts I placed on paper for the Kings County Record recently.

Weather is a very popular topic and it is a versatile topic that generates both joyful and depressing conversations.  People like to watch it from the comfort of their homes or while browsing the internet but only a few people develop a true relationship with weather.  To do this you have to get to know it, you have to understand the ups and downs of its personality.  In some cases you have to stand strong in a storm.  Over the last few months I have more fully tried to get to know the local weather more intimately. 

I haven't been alone in my pursuance of this relationship.  Others also wanted to get to know their weather better and so together we have been studying it.  In fact there are a lot of people who watch the weather closely, many, much closer than I do.  My relationship with weather started, like many modern relations today, online.  Following some field work two summers ago, there was a data gap on precipitation that was falling in our region.  It was important to my work that we get to know the weather better and thus the courting began. 

Through some friends I was directed to a website for COCORAHS or Community Collaborative Rain Hail Snow Monitoring Network.  This website was chocked full of information but more importantly it provided me with the tools needed to get my relationship off on the right foot.  Through COCORAHS I was able to get a rain gauge, a snow board, a meter stick, and access to a broader database.

Now part of my daily routine is a morning visit to my rain gauge where I measure the rain fall from the night before and if there was snow I take measurements of that as well.  There is something old fashioned about watching the weather.  It takes commitment which is something that, in my opinion, is missing in many aspects in society.  Honestly, I don't make my trip everyday, but I make an honest effort to get there no matter the weather.

By entering the data it has led me to look back on the history of weather in the region and I'm starting to to see some trends.  Watching the weather is not a one night stand by any stretch, it takes time to get to know its moods.  Don't worry though, if you're worried about getting bored with the relationship, it will change from season to season so there will be something else to understand. 

 

For me, the precipitation data that I'm collecting will be tracked and contribute to river flow, discharge, and water level data.  This data will allow me and my colleagues to better understand changes to the river due to climate change.  It has provided me with a moment to slow down each morning and my walk to the gauge does feel like a walk down a country road and it there is a relaxing moment that allows me to get my day off on the right foot.

Getting in Touch With Me Before the New Year

It may have been the first cold day of winter today.  As I checked my rain gauge this morning it was -15.3*C and the Environment Canada weather forecast was stating a windchill down to -23*C.  So since I had my afternoon off today, "Why not go for a short hike and blow some stink off before the New Year."  The dog needed a good outing too since we'll be leaving her in the house for the day on New Year's Eve.

I didn't want a really difficult hike, nor did my father, who I invited along.  We took a short drive up the Mill Brook Road and started up the familiar Cotter Holler Road on foot.  Since the fall rains, the road had washed out.  This was the second time this year.  The more intense rain events simply inundate the culverts and once that happens the steep stream seeks out a way around and often that is down the roadways.  If the culverts were enlarged it might change this new natural routine.

As Dad and I discuss the erosion we turn up the Secord road and lean into the steep uphill climb.  In some places the road is also heavily eroded here.  As we reach the crest of the first rise a small, steep, and scenic tributary calls for me to explore its tiny cascades.  Since there is no snow yet, the ice clings to the branches and leaves that were scattered on the ground earlier this summer.  It looks much colder than I feel at that moment.

As the dogs traipse off ahead of us we take in the terrain and enjoy the fleeting sunshine as it penetrates the cold and the shades of the hardwoods.  We reach the top of the hill and stop for a quick drink and head towards the old farm field well below.  The hike down the hill is slightly more gradual than the hike up and so we enjoyed the change of pace.

There was not a great deal of conversation, just a mutual enjoyment of being.

It was not an overly eventful hike but one that connected me to me again.  Funny how nature does that eh?

Here is the route if your interested - hike map.