Spring is a transitional time, all around. In our daily lives we jump back and forth between the outdoors and in. Depending on the day we might be biking in the sun or snuggling indoors while it rains or snows. This goes on for a good couple months until summer arrives mid June and we can be comfortable leaving the house with a t-shirt and shorts and not worrying about grabbing a jacket, toque or gloves (just in case).

I struggle with transitions; the flip floppy spring weather is difficult enough for me to handle at home never mind on the trail. And because we're fairly new to four seasons outdoor adventures we're still figuring it all out. Another factor not in my favor since I don't particularly relish the "figuring out" process. I like knowing, doing and achieving. Not figuring, finding and processing.

Give me a list and I'll pack it. Give me a recipe and I'll cook it. Give me the map and I navigate us. But don't give me a partly warm, partly cloudy, partly sunny, slightly breezy, maybe icy spring day and ask me what to pack - ahhhhh.

Thank God for Damien, if I didn't have him encouraging me along (I'm a whiney wimp sometimes) I'd stay home 8 months of the year.

But back to spring hiking and a recent outing to illustrate my point. Being prepared requires a bit of winter gear and summer gear because you just never know. And because I HATE being cold I always seem to dress too warm for spring outings. The day feels a little brisk but by the time I get going (with all that extra winter gear on & in my pack) I warm up - quick. Off comes the hat & the gloves. Unzip the jacket and the shirt underneath. Works for a while but I soon get downright hot. So we stop to strip down - adding more clothing to our packs - and hike on a little more.

Then we get to icy patches. It might feel like an early summer day in the valley but on the north side of a mountain the snow can still be 2 feet thick. Out come the crampons. A 20 minute stop to put this gear on our kiddos' feet. But while we stop burr.... I feel a little chilly when we're not moving. Put the hat back on and pull out the vest.

Back on the trail again, warming up... I don't dare stop while we're all going a good pace. The kids will have to stop soon enough for some reason or another, I'll take off a layer then.

It goes this way back and forth until we reach a spot near the top for lunch. I sit down and while I wait for lunch to cook (Damien does all the camp cooking, why do you think I like camping so much?) I put the layers back on. All of them.

In the end I'm thankful for all the layers I wore and packed. But I don't have much patience for this time of year or the learning process we are in.

Where am I going with all of this? I don't know. I guess I'm just saying it ain't always easy. But anything worthwhile (family and marriage for example) take planning, patience and effort. Spring hiking is no different.