Last weekend was a little frosty but not as frosty as it has been during the week. There was fresh snow and fresh air on my agenda even though it was -20C on both Friday and Saturday.

I love layering up and heading out when it is cold. The scenery is usually covered in icy flakes, the forest sounds are louder because of the cold and you can hear the creaks of the tree trunks.

I dug out my snowshoes for the first time this winter. There wasn't enough snow to warrant having them out sooner. I broke a snowshoe trail at the Beaver Hills Biodiversity trail. Over the two days it became packed and three snowshoe-widths wide so I'll be able to take the kicksled out this weekend.

The trail was covered in animal tracks. The mice/voles had dug holes through the snow. I saw a couple of them trying to run across the surface.

Squirrels chattered in the trees. A moose was enjoying a willow snack on the opposite side of a pond. 

As I walked, I watched for color in the forest. The yellow-orange lichen on the tree bark stood out against the white landscape. The red rose hips wore a blanket of white, fluffy flakes. Some of the shrubs alongside the trail were still holding brown leaves from last autumn. It was a winter wonderland.

I'm hoping to get out there again tomorrow. Severe cold warnings this week were the result of the gusting wind. It was -36C plus the windchill; making it more than -40C.

On my drive in to work, it was just light enough for me to see the loose snow swirling up like mini tornadoes into the sky. On the drive home it was drifting so hard that I couldn't tell road from ditch so I centered myself halfway between the two fence lines on either side of the road and hoped that nobody came from the opposite direction.

It is supposed to be on the plus side of 0C tomorrow and I'll be out with my winter toys hoping for stories to share with you next Friday. Happy trails!