Front Porch News: In the hardest month, finding momentum as a snowbound hermit
A January like no other, lake effect snow, pumpkin red lentil soup, super hero muffins and updates on this newsletter
My January was not all dark and dreary.
Just a few months ago, I wrote about waiting for winter. The day before Thanksgiving, it was 60 degrees here in upstate New York. I was craving winter.
Little did I know what kind of winter this was to be.
Starting in early January, the snow machine rolled into upstate New York and seemed to never leave. Lake effect snow from two of the Great Lakes—Lake Erie and Lake Ontario— pushed both east and south and dumped snow continuously through the month. The weather experts announced that we were also getting lake effect snow from the Finger Lakes—a series of narrow stretches of water that shoot down from Lake Ontario through Central New York.
The snow machine was blasting at us from all angles. It never seemed to end.
How was your January weather?
January was not good for being outside
Typical winters find me outside either running or cross country skiing for my endurance exercise. When I am training for a spring marathon, I am able to run outside all winter with a few days here and there for bad weather. Here in upstate New York, we usually have at least one winter thaw or two during colder months.
Not this winter.
Starting in late December, the temperatures plummeted and seemed to continue forever. The days were bitter and utterly unforgiving to the human skin. Windchills plummeted to below zero for continuous days. If we wished to go outside, frostbite and hypothermia were real possibilities. Cross country skiing, my favorite winter activity, was out of the question. We skied once early in the month but then the polar vortex landed with a ferocious sound.
A hermit not by choice
At times during January, I felt like a hermit. A stream of sickness permeated our household. A virus killed my voice with a sore throat so painful, I lost my appetite. I started feeling better after 10 days but then my husband got sick. For about three weeks, our house dealt with illness, mounds of snow outside and an Arctic-like cold that one would only expect in places like Alaska or the far reaches of northern Finland.
To help me cope with this forced hibernation, I turned to reading a few books including one about a famous hermit named Noah John Rondeau who chose to spend months by himself living in the Adirondack woods in a rustic cabin, hunting and foraging for his food.
I wondered why hermits such as Rondeau gained fame. Is it because everyday people like me wish to retreat to such a place? You can read more about him here.
Some of my other reading during my forced hermitage:
I devoured fellow Substacker Jill Homer’s Subzero Meditation essay about her Alaskan trek into the frozen tundra. I reminded myself—if I can’t even survive a winter in upstate New York , how could I survive what she did?
Our local podiatrist told us that he has seen a record number of patients for frostbite. Over 100 cases so far. Most of these patients went outside their home to shovel snow, wore inappropriate footwear and stayed out too long for the conditions.
I felt like I never saw the sun in January. Thank goodness I do not live in Rjukan, Norway —which does not receive a single drop of sunlight for 6 months of the year. I was desperate to see the sun and a blue sky.
The dark days wrecked havoc on my mental health. In retrospect, I was probably distressed by the current political situation here in the United States. That is another story.
Wintering over with Katherine May
Katherine May’s book: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times helped me through each day. She writes a chapter about each month (September to March) in which she reveals how she “explored the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down.” May touches on just about everything that she coped with over the winter months—her husband’s illness, her son’s difficulties with school and how she used the “power of rest and retreat” to find happiness.
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Seeing a light at the end of the tunnel
A welcome surprise and new features of Outdoors with Jenn
Amid all the dreariness of January, I received some amazing news. Out of the blue, an email arrived in early January from the editor of the Adirondack Explorer/Almanack. He had read my recent Substack post on the Five reasons I love Adirondacks winters and wanted to use it in their online publication. I really do love winter.
Since they published that first post, the Adirondack Explorer/Almanack has featured at least three more—about one each week. Even sweeter, I have my own byline.
Adirondack Explorer is the only nonprofit, independent media organization solely dedicated to covering the Adirondack region in Northern New York state. Through our news reporting and analysis, we aim to further the wise stewardship, public enjoyment for all, community vitality and lasting protection of the Adirondack Park. Source: Adirondack Explorer
In terms of reach, The Adirondack Explorer reaches over 200,000 online readers monthly and approximately 50,000 print readers across its magazine circulation.
For my Substack readers, I write not just about the Adirondacks but about other special places that I visit — the Finger Lakes of New York, the American southwest, the Scandinavian countries, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Canadian maritimes and others. This May, we are traveling back to Europe to visit Paris and Normandy. Stay tuned also for more paddling adventures in the Adirondacks.
New features of Outdoors with Jenn and a renewed focus on my writing process
I knew I wanted to spend more time in 2026 on my writing process. I felt I needed more time to develop my ideas and put them on paper. To help me do this, I made the conscious decision to publish only two longer posts a month, instead of trying to cram in three or four. With that said, I still want to offer my readers content on a weekly basis.
Hence, I created the new series I call Weekend Wanderer where I provide one place, one activity, one idea for the upcoming weekend. A plan that almost everyone could do. I personally choose this plan/activity after doing some digging about what is going on for the upcoming weekend. Most of the Weekend Wanderer picks are in New York State but my pick may inspire others who live elsewhere.
Here is one of my first Weekend Wanderer picks:
The themes that permeate my writing
I reorganized most of my previous posts to correspond with the themes that permeate my writing — Weekend Wanderer, the Adirondacks, Beyond the Comfort Zone, Seeking Solitude. Readers can now access these themes through navigation links on my Substack website here.
Updated graphics for Outdoors with Jenn
Early in January, I spent several hours updating the graphics for Outdoors with Jenn. I felt I had outgrown the original graphics I created in early 2024. Canva desktop software has been my go-to graphics software for over 10 years.
Here is my new banner — the new logo covers my outdoor concept of mountains, water and trees. With the new design housed in Canva, it is easy to create companion graphics and banners to enhance my new themes: Weekend Wanderer, Beyond the Comfort Zone and more.
Pumpkin red lentil soup and super hero muffins
With inspiration from a good friend who is a chef, I tried my hand at making red lentil soup. I like that the red lentils cook down and become a delicious soup base. The best part is that red lentils are an excellent source of protein and fiber.
I keep it easy by throwing everything into my InstaPot and hit start. I may add some fresh carrots or other vegetables too. Towards the end, I add in coconut milk and fresh spinach or whatever I have on hand. Here is the link to the recipe, created by Jamie Vespa MS RD. I make it a little blander and do not use onion and the Thai Red Curry Paste. Instead I use Garam Masala spices and add to our taste. Also, please check out fellow Substacker Ali Lopez’s recipe for her sweet potato lentil soup.
I baked a lot of Super Hero Muffins from the Rise and Run Cookbook (Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky from RunFast Eat Slow fame. Last year, I was lucky enough to participate in a Zoom cooking class with Elyse and Jesse Diggins (America’s most highly decorated cross country skier) and as a result, fell in love with the basic recipe of Super Hero Muffins. I mix up the recipe and make them gluten-free and dairy free. Easy to freeze, I try to make a few dozen at a time.
Any favorite recipes you used this winter?
Come along for the journey — subscribe for new essays, quiet trails, and the occasional step beyond what feels comfortable.
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More Weekend Wanderer picks
Great piece, Jenn. I, too, read Wintering, and it wasn't what I expected, but I still really enjoyed it. I made several batches of Superhero muffins as well, and currently making the Flourless PB chocolate chip cookies from their Rise and Run Cookbook.
Congratulations on the piece being accepted for publication. How exciting.
Have a great week, and I'm so happy to have some warmer temperatures.
Jenn, I hope you are both feeling better now. And congratulations on your publication in the Adirondack Explorer/Almanack. I like your new graphics too. My gosh, you’re a busy lady!