When I was a kid, I walked to the school bus down our half mile driveway every morning, rain, snow, or shine. Yes, I realize this sounds like your grandparent’s story of how they had to walk to school uphill both ways in a blizzard, but my story is true! During this time of year, the top layer of the snow would thaw and freeze repeatedly, forming a thick crust on the un-plowed fields of snow that surrounded our icy driveway. If the snow crust was strong enough to support our weight, we could take a shortcut to the bus through our fields and shave off a good five minutes of walking time. We always ran the risk of breaking through the top layer and having our legs plunge into the softer snow below.
Today, Annie reminded me of my childhood, as I saw her gingerly walk on the top delicate ice layer that has covered the 8 or so inches of snow we still have at the sanctuary. She bravely took a shortcut from the plowed pathway that J.B. made the other day, to one of the structures in the middle of the hill.
The other chimpanzees (Foxie seen here), still seem to stick to the less treacherous plowed pathways.
Annie continues to surprise us with her intrepid outdoor exploration.
