Yesterday there was finally enough snow in Petrolia to go snowshoeing. I had a lot on my agenda for the day, but before I left the house for my trip into town, I decided to put my snowshoes into the truck. I made a deliberate promise to myself that I would find time to go for at least a short hike through the snow before I came home.
As I arrived back into Petrolia my mind was coming up with several lame reasons why I shouldn’t go snowshoeing: I was hungry and therefore low on energy; the dog was waiting at home; it was quite cold out; I still had to go home and shovel the rest of the driveway. It would have been easy to take the turn toward the house instead of heading to the park. Luckily for me, I reminded myself how much I’ve been wanting to go and that I needed to do it.
Once I pulled into the park, I dug around in the truck to find a snack to give me some energy. I pulled my warm toque on, protected the bottom of my pants with my gaiters and ‘laced’ up my MSR snowshoes.
Snowshoes and gaiters.
With poles in hand, I was eager to plow through the fresh, untouched powder that laid before me. It was a beautiful, sunny day.
Fresh snow in Petrolia
The snow was glistening and it was the perfect depth for my shoes without the tails. It was my first time out this season, so I took it easy and just enjoyed being outside. There were a pair of blue jays calling loudly from the trees but other than that it was just me and the snow.
I made my way over to the small frozen pond to check out the covered bridge and to see what the local kids had been up to on the pond. It had been an extremely cold week and I had seen so many people out enjoying the frozen ponds in the area. It is a wonderful way to spend part of your day during the winter. I have so many fond memories of skating, drinking hot chocolate and having snowball fights.
The pond had definitely seen some action this week. There were two or more cleared areas for skating or a pickup game of pond hockey. Someone had even left their small pylons on the ice. This spot is particular awesome since the town lights the space so that kids, friends and families can enjoy it after dinner too. Just because it gets dark earlier in the winter doesn’t mean the fun has to end!
Skating and pond hockey.
The covered bridge is always a great backdrop for a picture when I’m down in the flats. Year round it looks great as it’s surroundings change. The bridge leads to the 2 kilometre Petrolia Discovery Trail. This section of the trail heads up and around the hill through a Carolinian forest.
Bridgeview Park covered bridge and pond.
At this point I was ready to circle back to the truck. The wind was now in my face and I realized just how cold it was. The truck temperature gauge said it was about -17° Celsius but that didn’t include the windchill. I was wishing I had my face shield on, so I picked up my pace and quickly headed back to the warmth of the vehicle.
Snow christened.
Overall it was a great first time out. I hope the snow stays but the temperatures get a bit warmer so that we can enjoy lots of snowshoeing through the woods. If we are lucky we will get out a few times this week and then spend the day exploring a forest on the weekend. Fingers crossed for the weather to hold and maybe even a bit more snow.
Enjoy the weather, stay warm, get outside!
