December 26 will go down as a memorable outdoor day.  While the Boxing Day shoppers jostled each other for bargains, there were at least two of us that ventured to the trails instead of the mall.

We left home before noon and drove to Elk Island National Park.  It snowed overnight and gave us about 3 inches of fluffiness to walk through on the Amisk Wuche trail.  We were the first ones out that morning.  It was calm and quiet.  In other words it was perfect.

We both had our camera gear along and were hoping for the sun to break through the clouds so we could snap some photos of the frost covered trees along the trail.  The sky did clear and the beauty was amazing.  The branches on the trees were covered in thick hoar frost from the night before.  The sunlight made the frosty crystals sparkle all around us.

There were not many birds out and the only animals on the trail were a mouse and a squirrel but the beauty and the peacefulness was just what we needed.

We had to take advantage of the warm temperature, the sunshine and the fresh snow so after leaving Elk Island we grabbed the cross country skis and headed to the trails at Cooking Lake - Blackfoot recreation area.  

The web reports on the trail conditions said poor but they were wrong.  There was enough snow overnight for some great skiing.  We came across only one icy patch that was a bit treacherous.

We got back to the house in mid-afternoon.  After a few hours of being outside in the fresh air, it was time for some rest on the couch with a good book.  Oh how I love winter!