Squish, splat

When it's raining and the temperature is hovering just above freezing, I think spring is just a marketing ploy designed to sell a bill of goods you don't really want or need.  Mud season is a fact of life in New England.

If you are willing to travel, you can avoid this dreariest of seasons, mostly. It's often spring in the south and still deep winter in the northern mountains. But, sooner or later every place in the northeast experiences mud season. Snow still lies in deep patches of shade, and water is everywhere -- from little runnels across lawns to torrents of water where small brooks normally flow, to great sheets of water in the flood plains of the rivers.

Mud and water can make the transition from winter sports to summer pastimes tough, but there are several tried and-true prescriptions for dealing with mud season.

Biking

As soon as the big snow banks disappear, road biking beckons. If you've been cross-country skiing all winter -- especially if you've been skate skiing -- you've already got all the leg strength and lung capacity you need to put some real miles of pavement under a road bike. If you haven't been as active through the cold months, a short trek on a road bike is as good as anything for shaking you out of your stupor and getting you moving again.

The best thing about road biking, of course, is that you can leave directly from home and you can ride after work now that the days are longer. Think about getting out and stretching your legs on the next nice evening.

Mud season is also a wonderful time to get out and play on a mountain bike. My friends who are hard-core mountain bikers grumble a bit in the spring about the need to stay off the really challenging trails until they dry out a little. But, for those of us who just play at mountain biking, mud season is perfect. The weather is still cool and dirt roads and logging trails are perfect for building both stamina and skills for the single-track trail riding ahead.

Besides, there's pure atavistic pleasure in riding a fat-tire bike through a big mud puddle. It shouldn't be reserved for kids.

Horseback Riding

As long as there's no hidden ice to slip on, horses and mud season go together perfectly. With the equivalent of traction control and 4-wheel drive, horses don't seem to mind mud at all. Marilyn and I have discovered the pleasures of downhill skiing in the morning, then riding horses in the afternoon after the spring snow turns sloppy.

One place that offers this opportunity is Stowe, Vermont where Windy Willows Farm and Edson Hill Manor offer year-round trail rides just a few minutes from the Stowe ski area, which offers wonderful spring skiing.

Whitewater

Whitewater kayaking and canoeing is the best way I know to enjoy mud season and stay clean. Well, mostly. You eventually have to get off the river and that usually means getting your feet wet and muddy. If you haven't tried it, you should. It's the only way I know to absolutely guarantee that you won't grumble about a cold spring rain.

There's nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of negotiating fast-flowing water with myriad rocks as obstacles in a tiny craft that you alone control.

Unfortunately, you can't simply jump into any old kayak or canoe and safely negotiate the high, cold waters of spring. Handling whitewater safely requires a combination of the right equipment and the skill to use it properly. Unless you've tested the equipment and learned the skills in calmer, warmer water, whitewater is trouble waiting to happen.

Fortunately, lots of different places in New England teach the beginning paddling skills that will get you started in canoeing or kayaking, and the sharper skills you need for whitewater. These are some I can recommend.

Zoar Outdoor in Charlemont, Massachusetts offers a whole host of whitewater clinics, along with rafting adventures for those who want the thrill without the learning curve.

The Appalachian Mountain Club offers paddling advice and workshops each year.

H2Outfitters on Orrs Island, Maine offers single and multi-day whitewater classes for solo paddlers and groups.

Trail etiquette

Mud season is hard on the trails we use for both hiking and mountain biking.

• Stay off the single-tracks until things dry up a little and confine your biking to maintained dirt roads and logging tracks.
• Respect the rules. For example, stay off trails that are closed to all wheeled vehicles including bikes until the road system dries and hardens.
• On hiking trails, be prepared to get your feet wet.
• If there's a puddle in the middle of the trail, walk in it rather than around it. Going around spreads the erosion over a wider area.