I am a denizen of the byways, the bike trails, and the sidewalks of Eau Claire this winter. I travel by foot and by bike and sometimes by bus. My way is challenged by heaps of snow, sheets of ice, the cold and the dark, as well as vehicles traveling on snow and ice. I bundle up, seal the seams, wear layers, woolens, and boots. I am a clean commuter in winter in Eau Claire.

The trip, from Coltman Lane to UWEC is two miles one way, so my challenge is manageable, but real. I walk or bike through the tunnel at Memorial High School, then along the Clairemont bike trail or down the footpath into Putnam Drive, then through the woods to campus. Forty minutes on foot or 20 minutes by bike replaces a 15-minute drive.

My motivations are somewhat noble – use less gas, maintain my aerobic health, drive one less car to a parking-challenged campus. The average per capita utilization of energy in the USA is over four times as high as the world average, so I’m doing my part to reduce that ratio. But in my heart, there is more. There is an outlaw feel to being a winter pedestrian/biker in America. To not drive is to strike out and be different. People are outwardly supportive, but I get the feeling that many wonder why I don’t just get back in my car.

There is an outlaw feel to being a winter pedestrian/biker in America. To not drive is to strike out and be different. People are outwardly supportive, but I get the feeling that many wonder why I don’t just get back in my car.

The rewards of the winter clean commute are subtle, but significant. I enjoy meeting the weather conditions with appropriate dress and Midwestern spirit. I walked to work the Monday after the 22-inch snowfall and I walked to work the Friday that was 22 below zero. Both times, I felt the challenge of the commute and I rose and overcame it.

Along my way, I see urban nature. In the snow I see tracks – dog tracks, squirrel tracks, bird tracks, and deer tracks beside the tracks of fellow walkers and bikers. And, of course, there are LOTS of car tracks. There are sunrises, sunsets, and I recently observed the rising of the Full Wolf Moon in all of its round, orange majesty.

I encounter birds, from sparrows and chickadees to crows and the occasional pileated woodpecker. Putnam Drive is a showcase of winter beauty with open water flowing through ice and snow. Ducks quack and the snow crunches underfoot. My winter commute is still and visually stunning in its cold splendor.

Where are the pitfalls in all of this? Well, it’s cold and dark and slippery out there. And there are piles and piles of snow, some of which make it impossible to navigate the sidewalks. There are drivers who assume that all bikers and pedestrians have gone south for the winter so they can’t see those of us who are still here. And, of course, there are those dreaded one-inch snowfalls that cover up the bare ice, but don’t remove its slipperiness. Tread lightly lest ye tumble.

These pitfalls make me appreciate simple things like folks who shovel their sidewalks, especially at the corners and city-shoveled bike trails. I love drivers who recognize that pedestrians and bikers are people traveling to work, shops, and school the same as they are. I’m a big fan of signalized intersections that are plowed to permit access to signal request buttons as well as shoveled bike racks, with at least a few open places.

I recently walked home after dark on the Clairemont bike trail. The trail is never actually dark due to the streetlights and there is a continuous roar of traffic from the 35,000 vehicles that pass by daily. I passed a biker and a pedestrian and we nodded to one another and said hello. It is the type of small human interaction that clean commuters enjoy; it is unavailable to folks encased in their vehicles.

Perhaps you now have a sense of what winter clean commuting is all about. Perhaps you’d like to gear up and hike or bike to work this week, or at least, give a biker or a pedestrian a break as you drive. If so, please know that we appreciate your awareness and courtesy as we share the streets on our daily winter commute.