Walking around the city during a snowfall is not the most pleasant thing to do. The white, freshly fallen snow instantly turns into a snowy mess under the feet of numerous passers-by. Snowplowing equipment does not have time to clear the streets. The line of snowplows moves slowly, leaving behind a strip of cleaned gray asphalt - but the snowfall does not stop, and in a few minutes the asphalt disappears from sight again.
I thought about it and decided it would be nicer to go for a walk in the park in this weather. I chose one of the parks in the north of the city for my walk. This park is called "Sosnovka" ("Pine Park") and it is an almost untouched section of forest. The predominant tree species in this park are pines, but there are also many birches and other species.
I assumed that I would enter this park via a path that starts from the avenue, not far from the metro station. But when I got to the edge of the park, I realized my mistake: this path is a great place to walk only in summer, in winter I would have to walk knee-deep in snow. Instead of a path, I saw a fresh ski trail, but I didn't have my skis with me.
So I had to start by walking along the avenue until I reached one of the center alleys of the park. The park workers shovel the center alleys and they are safe to walk on any time of the year. The snow is tamped with a special roller and becomes firm, difficult areas are sprinkled with granite chips.
Locals trampled a few side paths that branched off from the central alley. It was probably a shortcut to their homes. At first I followed the central alley, but then I decided to turn onto one of these paths. At first I thought it was a great decision. The path was quite narrow and I felt alone with nature. Not far from the path I saw tennis courts, but they were closed, the courts were covered with snow.
I soon realized that my decision to walk the path was a bit hasty. Everything went fine for the first ten minutes, but the further I went, the worse the path was tramped, and the harder it was to take the next step. I came to a clearing with pure white snow and stopped to rest for a bit. Honestly, it was starting to feel more like a hard workout than a walk. I would have expended less energy if I had been running, but on a regular road, without snow.
Sosnovka Park is a piece of forest that was preserved when there was residential construction nearby. So there are no architectural landmarks in the park. But on one of the alleys I saw a monument, it is a monument to pilots. It turns out that there was an airfield nearby. I rarely visit this park, and I didn't know that there was such a monument.
The benches along the edges of the alleys were buried in snow. I took a few photos of the benches - I liked how these snow-covered benches looked against the backdrop of the winter forest. Some of the benches had been cleared of snow - probably someone decided to relax sitting on these benches. I was starting to dream of resting too, I had expended a lot of energy as I wandered the narrow paths around. It was time to end the walk and look for a way out of the park.
| ○ | ○ |
|---|---|
| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
This is my entry for the #wednesdaywalk challenge by @tattoodjay.
