Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Today was our first Explorer’s Hike of the new year, and we walked the Lost Art Gallery trail that was cancelled back in December due to icy road conditions. The hike started in Strathdon which is about an hour outside of Aberdeen, nestled in the foothills of the Cairngorm Mountain range. 

The area had a fresh dumping of snow and was covered in a blanket of white. We walked 9 miles through snow covered forests and powdered country side. 

As always, the scenery was out of a fairytale, the exercise was enough to give my sweet tooth free reign over the rest of my day, and the pictures were gorgeous. 

But the best part of the excursion were the memories I created with these amazing women and the conversations we shared while walking through a winter wonderland. 

And also the fact that I didn’t once bust my butt on the ice was a pretty big plus. And also the fact that there were two free public restrooms along the route was another huge bonus. And also the fact that there was an art gallery in the middle of our path that we got a chance to peruse was pretty neat. 

The Lost Art Gallery, named for the town it's located in and not the fact that it's in the middle of stinkin' nowhere.

And also the fact that we stumbled upon some castle ruins was a nice touch. 

But time spent with friends was still the best part. Hands down.