This is Outside In. I'm Nate Hedgy. And let's save the full introductions for later and just do a first name roll call.

Kate. Hi. Zoe. Hello. Taylor. Here. And this, if you can believe it, is our fifth annual surthrival special. And this time I understand we have a special request, right, Taylor?

That is correct. We got an email from a guy named Eric Driven.

Afterwards, he and I jumped on a video call and side note when he popped up on the

screen.

We were both wearing flannel button-ups, neon car heart hats, glasses, and headbeards.

I was genuinely like, whoa.

He was like my Vermont doppelgay. Do you know Noah Kahan?

Not personally or anything. But yeah, no, it's the whole stick season phenomenon. Definitely identify with that. I really don't like that song. For legal reasons, as someone who famously lives in New England, I love the song,

Stick Season, and have nothing unkind to say about Noah Kong.

So Eric, this listener who called it, and he is a fan of the show.

He has heard our previous Sir Thrival specials where we offer tips on how to endure the long cold season that is winter

in New England. But Eric, he's like, listen, I don't actually need help with that. I love winter.

I love getting out in the snow. I love being able to snowshoe. You know, in the summertime,

you don't really, you see the woods, but you don't necessarily see the tracks of like the mice

and the squirrels.

And in the winter, you walk along the path and you see like, oh, hey, a deer crossed and, you know, a coyote and, you know, a rabbit.

Makes me realize it as empty as the woods seem sometimes that there's a lot more going on.

So Eric's like, winter's great.

What he struggles with is this weird in-betweenish season, stick season, that is like late

November to New Year's-ish before we get any snow.

It's gray.

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