Since November 21, a single doe has been visiting my yard.  Yesterday, she brought friends; three to be exact.  I glanced out the window and saw the silhouettes.  They glanced up when I turned on an outside light but made no attempt to leave.  I watched as they raided the bird's feeder tray.  When that was empty, they found the tub of grain.  After 30 minutes of eating and frolicking in the snow, they filed out of the yard one by one.

I was off today. The sun was shining.  There was a long to-do list on my table but I just could not waste a perfect outdoor day.  I packed up and headed out the door at 8:15am for some trail adventures.

The sun was just coming up when I left.  As I drove through Elk Island Park, the sun's rays created millions of sparkling crystals on the hoar frost left from last night's fog.  The trees along Amisk Wuche trail wore white coats on their branches.  The contrast of white against the bright blue sky was amazing.  It was so peaceful.  It was Christmas card perfect. 

I got back to the trail head parking lot and knew that I didn't want to head home just yet.  The day was too beautiful to spend it inside.  I drove straight to the Strathcona Wilderness Centre.  I hadn't visited the snowshoe trail since it snowed.  It was packed down so I managed to walk it with boots and cleats.  

As I made my way along the trail, I heard the chickadees calling from the willow thickets.  A slight breeze blew through the tree tops, creating enough movement to shake the hoar frost loose.  It fell from the branches covering the trail like a blanket.   The peaceful silence was broken by the sound of the groomer.  I was glad that I was close to the parking lot.

My final destination for the day was the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation Area.  The trails have been groomed and track set.  I tried the Neon/Lost Lake trail.  The skiing was perfect.  I met up with a couple of hikers but no other skiers.  I'm proud to say that there were no wipe outs today!

As I traveled home, I noticed one of the deer that visited my yard last night.  I knew it was the same one by its size; double the size of the single doe that has been visiting.  She was making her way up an acreage driveway.  It will be interesting to see if the visitors come back this evening.

When I got home, I realized that I had spent 5 glorious hours in the fresh air.  I visited all 3 of my favorite places.  As I listened to the news this evening, the weather forecaster was warning everyone of an approaching winter storm.  Tomorrow morning should still be okay but freezing rain is to move in during the afternoon.  A snowstorm with big winds and lots of snow is to follow.  I'm hoping that I can get to the ski trail in the morning before the weather changes because it looks like hibernation is on the horizon if the storm hits as predicted.