When it comes to hiking, there is very little I mind.

I don’t mind rain.

I don’t mind snow.

I don’t mind cold or wind either.

Ice however is just a pain in the ass. It’s rare, it’s destructive, and it hit Kentuckiana hard this week.

I finally got out for a bit of a walk this week after hoping for a snow hike. Instead of the predicted snowfall, we started with 4 inches of snow, then got an inch or so of ice and then got an additional 3 inches of snow on top of it all for good measure.

Jefferson Forest has received a huge amount of damage, especially to soft wood trees such as pine. Almost every pine tree in the forest lost a few limbs if not the entire tree. And oddly, I saw a few that stood untouched during my late afternoon lonely walk around the Tom Wallace recreation area (featuring the Siltsone Trail) and the JF Welcome Center nature walk.

There will be more pictures to come with this topic since it seems the ice and snow will be around for another week or so before temps rise above freezing and this supposed Southern state takes back its normal weather.

I hope you enjoy the album Ice Storm 2009.

I really love this U of L basketball team.

The freshman are learning. The upper classmen are leading. The defense is smothering. And every player is on the same page.

Louisville came out tonight against South Florida tonight and delivered a tepid first half, battling to a one point lead at halftime. It was ugly, and sloppy and downright disappointing.

I wish I knew what Rick Pitino said at half, because they came out on FIRE in the second half.

I haven’t seen a domination like that in years. This team is BETTER than last year’s. More athletic. More talent, and despite a lack of a true point guard, they make defense the focus and let TWill and E5 dish the assists.

Damn they’re fun to watch. Check out Sportscenter tomorrow for the play of the day, I’m betting it’s a Louisville break with TWill passing between the legs to E5 for the slam.

SHOWTIME IN THE VILLE BABY!

Nothing kills plans for a snow hike when it changes into an ice hike. Our snow storm in the Kentuckiana area has turned into a full fledged ice storm. Nothing discourages walking in the woods quite like having tree limbs encased in an inch of ice falling to the ground like Death’s own vicious scythe. (A huge limb missed my car by about a foot, and I made sure to park away from trees!)

We’re expecting snow (2-4 inches) today but the whole system is supposed to clear out by noon. I’ll try to get out for some picture taking at the very least.

This weather system has been kinda brutal because it should be snow, but instead has dumped mostly ice on us.

12:30AM Tuesday and it has started. Looking forward to maybe hiking tomorrow in it.

Huge win for Louisville to get the monkey off of Rick Pitino’s back in the Syracuse Carrier Dome.

First win for Rick as an opponent and it keeps Louisville undefeated in Big East play. And we keep pace with Marquette at the top of the league.

It was one of those games that seemed to find Louisville finding a 6 point lead, only to give it right back and then immediately find another one. Great game.

I’ve been on a bit of kick making soup lately, especially with greens.

Collard greens, turnip greens, kale greens, you name it. They’re cheap and incredibly nutritious. I used to not like them much as a kid, but now I think they’re great.

I just threw this recipe together, and it turned out pretty darn good, so I thought I’d share.

First, the ingredients:

42 oz of chicken broth ( I prefer low sodium versions)
4 cups chopped greens of choice (fresh, washed) or 2 14 oz cans of greens (with canned juice)
2 cans of Northern or Navy beans or 1 16 oz pack soaked white beans (overnight)
1 rib of celery diced
1 large carrot diced
1 tablespoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of smoked sea salt (if available)

1 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup diced smoked ham or
1 smoked hamhock
Substitute your bean of choice if you don’t like white beans.

Throw all of it in a crockpot on low overnight and let cook about 12 hours. Add water if needed. Makes about 6-8 good sized bowls of soup which are delicious. I like a bean soup to be nice and peppery, so if that’s not your thing, pepper to taste. For the stove top, make sure you have a good sized soup pot to hold everything. You can easily halve the recipe if needed. Cook for 2-3 hours on a low simmer, just a few bubbles coming up is perfect. Put in the fridge after cooking, since the soup is better the next day or later.

Great for cold weather and cheap to make, give it a try.

And the only band that matters

The Clash

Louisville beat Rutgers in Piscataway New Jersey tonight by 19. By the way, saying “Piscataway” is fun.

Terrence Williams continued his stellar play with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals.

I didn’t get it locally because it was on ESPNU but it was never close. Syracuse looms large on Sunday.

GO CARDS!

I celebrated Martin Luther King’s birthday in high style today, since the holiday coincided with a beautiful fluffy white blanket of snow in the Louisville area.

I made my way out to Jefferson Forest and the Horine Reservation section and spent an entire morning completely alone in the park. I was the first into the parking lot at 10:30 AM and hiked the Blue Loop trail down to Mitchell Hill Lake and back again. I then tackled the Red Loop trail for my early afternoon and ended up leaving at about 3 PM as new flurries started to enter the area.

Aside from some minor slips, it was just an incredible day in the woods. It was quiet and beautiful and inspiring. I’m amazed that I only saw 3 other people and 5 pet dogs while spending almost 5 hours hiking 6 miles in the snow. took lots of pictures and I’ve learned that snow scenery photos take some practice to do well. I hope mother nature obliges with a few more white blankets this winter.

I hope you enjoy the album Horine Snow.