We need to rent snowshoes, to determine if we’re going to buy some; let me tell you, hiking in deep snow is HARD. We did a mile out on the main road, and a mile back, and it was pretty exhausting. (We foolishly went out with the intention of walking to the overlook. Nope!)

OK, I wanted to post the pretty pictures AFTER the whiny pictures.

Here are some overviews of town.

The Law School (have fun getting in THOSE doors)

And the area around the Alumni Center

If WVU has classes tomorrow, I call BS. As of 2ish, most roads we saw were a lane–lane and a half at most, and sidewalks were for the most part unwalkable.

Sidewalk on University–note that halfway up the hill there is not even a trodden path–you pretty much have to walk in the road

Patteson Drive–sidewalks are not only not cleared, they are covered with plowed snow–completely unwalkable.

You can see there is a path trod right up to the closed sidewalk sign–then you’re forced into the road.

North street–you can see there is only a lane and a half plowed.

Student parking lots

Here’s our walk, Saturday between noon and two.

Saturday morning, between 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM.

15 1/2 to 17 1/2 inches of snow around the house.

Friday evening:

This was our second visit to Babcock in the past month–since we’d had a little snow, I thought it was worth another visit.

It was lovely.

In addition to viewing the grist mill (which is nice) you should take the opportunity to hike around. Even a short hike down the road towards the cabins can get you some beautiful scenery.

A handful of WV State Parks are having a $50/night in January special, so we took this opportunity to spend some more time at Twin Falls State Park.

Location: Twin Falls State Park
Trails: Huckleberry, Cliffside, and Falls Trails
Distance: 1.5, 3.0, 2.3 miles
Elevation: 2155-2449, 2005-2317, 1836-2006 feet

Twin Falls has a Pioneer Farm, which is run as a farm from the 17 and 1800s would have been. The Huckleberry Trail passes alone part of the fence of the Pioneer Farm.

We only saw chickens at work when we hiked by.

The Cliffside Trail is very flat and wide until you reach where it branches off to view the cliffs. Then you actually get some real hiking (and elevation, and scrambling)…

Bet the view is lovely on a fall day–or a clear day. :)

Twin Falls is named for the two falls in the park (Duh).

The Marsh Fork Falls

and the Black Fork Falls

Both have a scramble to get down to the base, and both were muddy and messy, but it was a very nice view. (I really wanted to explore on the other side of the Black Fork Falls, but I decided it wasn’t possible life-flight interesting over there.)

If you go off the main trail, you can reach the point where the Black Fork and Marsh Fork meet, which is a very pretty area, that would be lovely to explore in the summer.

And if you pay attention (and are again willing to scramble) you can view the remains of the foundation of an old mill.

It was a lovely trip.

We hiked EVERY DAY this year!

Sadly, we go back to work tomorrow, so this trend will end abruptly.

But it was good while it lasted!

Location: Coopers Rock State Forest
Trails: Advanced Ski and Mont Chateau Trails
Distance: 6.4 miles
Elevation: 1406 – 2323 feet

I am sorry to report that, aside from being the fastest way down to the Mont Chateau trail when the gate is closed, the Advanced Ski Trail doesn’t have much to offer.

It was–kinda boring. Or as boring as a hike in the forest can get. All the things I took pictures of were on the Mont Chateau Trail.

But, it was still time on the woods, which makes it a good day.

We have had a LOT of rain recently. Luckily, although there was some minor flooding in the southern part of the state last week, we’ve managed to escape the terrible flooding that many areas have seen.

But we still have a lot of water.

Here’s how Valley Falls looked Friday:

(Here’s how it normally looks)

And today we went to Babcock, where there was also a lot of water, even though it hasn’t rained for a couple days.

(Here is Babcock in the fall of 2012)

Although one of us had a sightly sensitive stomach, from eating nothing but junkfood for a week straight, we made it out to Coopers Rock for our first hike of 2016.

The gate is closed, so there are limited trail options, unless you want to hike into the forest and then take a trail from there.

So we took Scott’s Run trail, which I do like, but we didn’t hike all summer and fall, since it’s our fall-back trail when the forest is closed.

Location: Coopers Rock
Trail: Scotts Run Trail
Distance: 3.5 miles
Elevation: 1853 – 2207 feet

Although I took some pictures at Valley Falls, we just hiked at Coopers Rock, and didn’t stop for pictures.

Despite the crappy weather, we got in two last hikes.

Location: Coopers Rock
Date: 30 Dec
Trails: Roadside, Rattlesnake, Ridge, Rhododendron, Unmarked Trails
Distance: 3.3 miles
Elevation: 1901 – 2188 feet

Date: 31 Dec
Trails: Unmarked, Clay Run, Rhododendron, Ridge Trails
Distance: 4.0 miles
Elevation: 1730 – 2251 feet

On the 30th, we came across this interesting stump.

This is the view straight down:

On the 31st, coming up the Rhododendron trail, we came across this newly fallen tree.

The picture is blurry, partially because we had been climbing uphill, and possibly because I’d just pulled my phone from my warm pocket into the cold air. But the exposed root structure was, when tipped on its side, taller than Michael.

It’s rained a LOT recently, and the exposed soil didn’t look like it had been rained on, so this was a very recent fall.

Previously:
Books I loved (Published in 2015)
Books I Loved
Covers I loved
Covers I hated

Although I did a LOT of re-reading this year, I still managed to find some new-to-me authors: two historical romance authors and two comic series.

Joanna Bourne
The Spymaster’s Lady (2008)
My Lord and Spymaster (2008)
The Forbidden Rose (2010)
The Black Hawk (2011)

The series I read was historical romance with elements of mystery (spies, duh) and since I love historical mysteries, this was catnip to me. The series is set between 1794 and 1818 with the upheavals in France being at the heart of most of the escapades.

The first book I thought was phenomenal, and the next two were very good. Oddly, the third, which had my favorite character, Adrien, was the weakest book of the series. Which I found terribly disappointing.

Carla Kelly
Miss Grimsley’s Oxford Career (2012)
Summer Campaign (2012)

These books are set during the Napoleonic era, and are not part of a series–or even much similar to each other–but both are delightful. The first finds a young lady attempting to go to Oxford, however, this isn’t the story you’re probably expecting with that set-up. It was lovely.

The second tells of a young woman who is about to make a terrible marriage, but has little to no choice in the matter. Because social strictures were quite different at that time, you spend the book wondering how on earth she’s going to escape her engagement.

These are also boink-free books, which I especially liked. :)

Daniel José Older
Salsa Nocturna (2012)
Half-Resurrection Blues (2015)

These are supernatural fantasy with Hispanic characters, which is a sub-genre you don’t see a lot of. But that isn’t why you should read it. You should read them because they’re good stories, and come at supernatural fantasy from a different point than much of what is currently out there: for one thing, the main character doesn’t have super-strength or super-healing or anything except his ability to walk in the human world and the world of ghosts, and a sword to help him out.

The short story collection, Salsa Nocturna, came first, and is a lovely introduction to both the world and many of the characters in this world.

Ms. Marvel
No Normal (2014)
Generation Why (2015)
Crushed (2015)

This a a fabulous YA comic. The girl who becomes the new Ms Marvel is Muslim, with strict (but not unrealistically so) parents, a brother who seems to be embracing a form of Islam that worries her family a little, and two best friends–one of who is a Muslim who chooses to wear the full hijab, and the other a Catholic boy who is most likely in love with her.

The first volume requires no familiarity with the Marvel universe; the following volumes left me feeling a tiny bit lost, since I don’t follow the referenced volumes, but they are still good, and this is a series you should get for teen girls in your life AND read for yourself.

Black Widow
The Finely Woven Thread (2015)
The Tightly Tangled Web (2015)
Last Days (2015)

This series is NOT for young teens, and the end is very dark, but it is very very good, and I highly recommend it. Black Widow is very much a damaged character, trying to make up for her past as a Soviet assassin (the last volume delves deeply into her past, and is as depressing as it is good).

As I’m a fan of complex, complicated, conflicted characters (yes, I did run out of “C” words) I very much loved Natasha. She’s all those, but she’s also competent (another “C” word!) and does what needs to be done–things that other Avengers won’t do.

Very lovely, and well-worth checking out; just be aware that it’s dark–especially the final volume.

Previously:
Books I loved (Published in 2015)
Covers I loved
Covers I hated

These are the books I loved that weren’t published in 2015, but that I want to point out, in case you haven’t read them. There are only two re-reads here–books I love so much I just wanted to note again how happy they make me.

Graphic Novel

Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal (2014) G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphonsa

This is an absolutely delightful comic. The following two volumes aren’t quite as good as the first, in keeping a story that is understandable to those not already immersed in the Marvel universe, but the first volume does a lovely job of that, and I highly recommend it.

Historical Romance

The Spymaster’s Lady (2008) Joanna Bourne (10/10)
My Lord and Spymaster (2008) Joanna Bourne (9/10)

These are (rather obviously) part of a series, with spies set during and around the Napoleonic wars.

As someone who read the James Bond novels as a teen, I’m a sucker for a good spy novel. (Yes, I know how unrealistic the James Bond stories are. That doesn’t mean they aren’t fun.) And these are fun.

The women in the stories are no wilting flowers, but do what they can to save themselves (after all, espionage means danger) which I always appreciate.

Plus, how can I not love a series where a heroine says, “I am England’s expert on skullduggery in accounting.”

Shadows of the Heart (1996) Tracy Grant
Shores of Desire (1997) Tracy Grant
Rightfully His (1998) Tracy Grant

This is another series set in a similar time frame, by another author I quite like.

First, the heroines in these stories are generally not shirking violets and virgins, in fact, the heroine in on story is pregnant when she is rescued by the hero.

Second, these are also mysteries, and good mysteries at that. The heroines are involved in helping to resolve the mysteries (especially when the mystery for one is who she is). And there are lots of fun historical bits, which I always enjoy.

Fantasy

The Very Best of Charles de Lint (2010) Charles de Lint

I love Charles de Lint, and this is a (mostly) fan selected selection of some of his best stories. I own most of these stories in other collections (because seeing Charles de Lint in an anthology makes it an automatic buy) but it was a pleasure to read all these stories, both the handful of new stories and the many stories I’d read (and re-read) before.

One of the things about Charles de Lint is that many of his characters have been hurt and broken in the past, but with very few exceptions, the stories leave you with a sense of hope.

Legion: Skin Deep (2014) Brandon Sanderson

This is a novella, the sequel to Legion. It’s got a fascinating premise, which is that the main character has multiple characters and personalities living with him—he is aware that they are not real people, but instead the way in which is super-intelligent mind parses and deals with things—a new person/personality appears often in response to his needing to become an expert in something.

Like I said, it’s a fascinating idea, and the stories are interesting as well, so it’s a win-win.

Audio Books

The Devil You Know, Audible Version (2006/2007) by Mike Carey and narrated by Michael Kramer

British magical detective of sorts, with a complicated past and an even more complicated present. My book catnip, and the narrator does a lovely job with the story.

Mercy Blade, Audible Version (2011/2011) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam
Raven Cursed (2012/2012) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam
Death’s Rival, Audible Version (2012) Faith Hunter narrated by Khristine Hvam

I am thoroughly enjoying listening to this series. The narrator does a very good job of making the voices of Jane and Beast (and the other characters as well) distinct and sounding like the book describes them.

Plus, I get to hear all the details I frequently miss when I zip through a story.

Fantasy Re-Reads

The Lions of Al-Rassan (1995) Guy Gavriel Kay

This is possibly my favorite Guy Gavriel Kay story. I love the research and history he puts into creating his fantastical world, and how these are not even true fantasies in the sense they don’t have magical usage or creatures, they just exist and interact in a past that never existed.

Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold

This is an unusual story, of a woman who was orphaned at a young age, coming to discover who she is not as a teen or twenty something, but as a settled, middle-aged woman.

And in addition to this very unusual main character is a fantastic story.