The depths of the winter seem to have passed. It's lighter in the mornings now, and the nighttime cold is starting to become less onerous. The boots proved to be a problematic purchase. It's a good brand, so they're strong, but they're associated more with law enforcement than military, and the lasts are clearly not top-notch. Extremely difficult break-in, but hopefully they'll endure more than the three months the last (milspec jungle) ones gave me. Bit of congestion as well, as I shed an inner fleece layer perhaps a week too early. But after a week or two of a rare cold with difficult shoes, hopefully everything's on the mend.
Perhaps these difficulties were useful. Many cultures fast in springtime. In winter, we fed on the fats and slept when we could, and pressed forward as firmly as we could through the cold. With springtime, we need to re-tune the engines. Perhaps, in the pressing-forward of the wintertime, we've lost a bit of mental acuity. We need to awaken from our own strength, and so we fast, and think, and rub the feet a bit.