We have a big snow shoeing trip coming up and we've done a bunch of snowshoe treks out into the Haig Road Forest to get "ready". (A few hours of walking on mostly flat trails, will not do that much to help with our upcoming hours of toboggan pulling!)
For those of you who have never been, this is one of the coolest hidden gems in Belleville. There are multiple trails through the woods, over rivers and in wetlands. The trails are maintained by the users and it's open for free use. Every trip we make there is a refreshing and enjoyable experience - no matter what the season.
Today was Gayle's first official day of not working for her semester off. I had worked most of the day and since it was a clear sky an a full moon, we decided to go for a show shoe in the moon light. We figured we'd have the whole place to ourselves and, well, why not?
After dinner we laced our books and strapped on the frames. As we dropped into the woods and crossed the first river, it was still pretty dark heading east along the trail. The path opened into the wetland with tall grasses, shrubs and many expired Aspen trees. We weren't disappointed. The moon shone brightly in the cool sky as the stars started to twinkle. Each step we made broke the silence as the crunchy snow compressed beneath our feet. Shadows of trees and two happy humans turned the hard white snow into an enormous canvas.
We did make sure to stop, look at the shadows and the stars. A "shadow selfie" is always fun.
Being outside, together was a fitting way to kick off our next few months of adventures!