Every winter I trek out to the bowl at Towner's Woods to see what the sledding community is up to. It never changes - kids make a jump at the bottom of the steep section, another jump appears at the bottom of the chute through the woods, and the youngest ones experience a new joy in life. But I love watching the endless looping parade of families coming down the hill, not only run after run, but year after year. Just like robins returning in the spring, the sledders come back every winter to Towner's Woods. When I told a lady that I was taking photos for my Kent Patch blog, she reminisced, "My photo was in the paper when I was sledding as a kid here, and now my son's photo will be in the Patch."
Judging by the photos, you would think there were numerous broken bones at the end of the day. But the kids never got far off the ground, and every flight ended in laughter.
Several times I heard from a parent, "Just one more time, then we have to go home." But the shadows get longer, and home is still countless sled runs away. Just like when I was a kid. Some things never change.