After the driveway was shoveled out, I packed up the snowshoes and headed to Elk Island. The bison were out along the highway. Their furry winter coats were encrusted with snow and ice. There were no other vehicles driving on the parkway. I got to the Amisk Wuche Trail parking lot and found myself to be the only person there. Looking at the trail, nobody else had ventured onto the trail after we were on it yesterday.
Tree branches, shrubs and stumps wore white winter caps. As the flakes fell silently to the ground, I stopped, took in the beauty and enjoyed the silence. The birds were not even out today.
In addition to the snowshoe tracks that we made yesterday, the deer, hares and squirrels made their own tracks. I could see holes in the snow where mice came up to the surface from their winter homes.
On the drive home, a large herd of elk were grazing in an open area. I was almost back to the highway that would take me home and two mule deer lifted their heads to watch me as I drove by.
When I got home, I checked the bird feeders to see if my backyard deer friend visited while I was gone. They were still full. I could hear the chickadees and the woodpeckers enjoying their time at the feeders.
I purchased my annual x-country ski pass today. The groomer was out while I was at the Wilderness Centre so the trails should be perfect tomorrow. The temperature is supposed to rise overnight and the sky is supposed the clear. I think tomorrow will be a ski day!
We feel cold, but we don't mind it, because we will not come to harm. And if we wrapped up against the cold, we wouldn't feel other things, like the bright tingle of the stars, or the music of the Aurora, or best of all the silky feeling of moonlight on our skin. It's worth being cold for that. ~Philip Pullman, Northern Lights
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