March Mud Madness: Having fun with spring’s main ingredient

by Joe “Grizzly” Beeks
It’s officially March. The days are getting longer again, kids are waking up earlier, and the birds are chirping each morning. There may be snow in the hills, but March for most folks means the start of Spring, or at least the fact it’s starting to be near the start of Spring. Heck, it could be weeks – or months (remember last year?) – before we see continual warmer weather, but we know it’s coming. We know we have made it through the winter blahs that often come in January and February.
While plenty of folks will continue to seek fresh powder at Mt. Baker and beyond, others look longingly at their garden, hiking shoes and t-shirts. The time is coming. And I’m not just saying that.
Growing up, this time of year signified one thing for my brother and I. Well, actually two. It was the start of Spring (even though March 1 was not the official start of the season on the calendar), which meant only one thing to us: mud. Ah, mud. The Mucky Underbelly of Dirt, as my dad liked to call it.
The mud season, most often plentiful in March, April and May, was sort of like summer vacation (but not as good!). It’s arrival signaled longer playing time outside and the coming warmer weather that would eventually bring bare feet, swimming holes and barbecues. But until we could have bare feet, we had our mud boots. We wore them plenty, and they were plenty dirty.
My boots were green with a thick black line at the top. My brother had brown boots with paw prints on them. But many times one could not tell whose boots were whose. Except for the small difference in sizing, our boots were often completely covered in mud. When we would head back to the house for dinner, my mother smiled and shook her head at the same time.
Mud is a universal joy for kids, our folks knew that and let us revel in it. We made mud pies, jumped in puddles (what kid doesn’t jump in puddles?!), dug trenches, built forts, and buried all sorts of things. We played under rainy skies, we played under sunny skies. Sometimes we played under dark skies by the light of the moon or by the front porch light.
My brother and I may be adults now, but we still love to play outside. We don’t make mud pies much anymore, but muddy mountain biking is certainly in order.
And yes, we plan to get plenty dirty, so dirty we won’t be able to tell the difference between our boots.

Published March 1, 2010