Snow!

We all love the snow and the best part of the day is our walk in the river valley. We bundle up in ski pants, thick ski jackets that make us look like sausages, warm gloves, hats, scarves and longjohns and we walk out to the edge of the ravine, slide down to the bottom on our behinds and either bushwack through the trees or walk across the river on the bridge or carefully pick our way along the side of the river. Rabbits and coyotes cross the North Saskatchewan, but it is not entirely safe yet. There are parts not covered by ice. Perhaps it is passable, but not in all places.

The air is fresh and crisp and when you breathe, fog comes out of your mouth. Sometimes the sky is blue, but most often it is grey and overcast and the sun sets before 5, so we hurry home before it gets dark. There is a long way home with a gentle uphill, or we clamber up the path we slid down on.

It is cold outside, but under my clothes I get hot and wet and come home soaking and ready for a change of clothes. It takes lots of energy to frolic in the snow and breathe the cold air and climb up the side of the ravine to get home. I feel so refreshed after the experience.

In past years, it was a family affair. Tara would join Eric and Maya and I and participate in the fun. Now she prefers to go on her own and exercise. I am not sure it is so fun for her. Maya wants to play and is uninterested in hiking. I want to move forward, so Eric and Maya have their adventure and I take off at an intense pace and cover miles and elevation and drag myself home in the dark.

We try to hike every day, and it is the highlight of our time here. During this visit it feels as if it is the best part of our stay. At home we are always on guard and getting into all sorts of trouble, but usually my mother forgets that she was angry at us; that is good for my mother, but we are all hurting and carrying all that pain with us all the time.