I’m a country girl. The sort that considers more than 3 cars in a line up at the Havelock intersection, to be rush hour. I’m not bothered that we don’t have gourmet restaurants and we just have one Tim Horton’s in town (which only opened last year), nor do I care that I have a 40 minute drive to get to the nearest big box store. Why don’t I care? Because we have benefits in cottage country. Big benefits! And at this time of year, the biggest one is CLEAN SNOW!
I look out my window each morning to a winter wonderland, where the only impressions made on the white stuff were by the deer that wandered through the yard in the night. But today I’m going out to make some bigger impressions. And I’ll be wearing a pair of snow shoes.
Carl Heilmann is a snowshoe enthusiast who lives in the Adirondacks. Here’s his wonderfully evocative description of a day out snowshoeing:
The day was full of wonderment. The air was brisk and invigorating and the sky was an almost electric blue color. The low slanting rays of the winter sun sharply outlined each twig on the trees and silhouetted the snow dusted branches over the shadows of the mountains.
If you have never done this, you’re missing out on one of winter’s greatest activities, and as Carl Heilman says, "If you can walk, you can snowshoe".
The owners of one of our favourite cottages, Cherry Hollow, have made sure that anyone who wants to give this a try, has the opportunity. There’s several pairs of snowshoes in different sizes available for their guests’ use. Strap them on and take a walk on the lake or into the surrounding woodland. Or, if you prefer marked trails, Arrowhead Provincial Park is close by.
If you want to head out to the Kawartha region, stop off at Wild Rock Outfitters in Peterborough and rent your snowshoes for the weekend. Carry on to Osprey Cottage to the east and you can spend hours enjoying fabulous winter scenery, coming back to the cottage at the end of the day to a great soak in the hot tub.
Tucked Away Bay is north of Peterborough and is close to both Silent Lake Provincial Park and the Kawartha Nordic trails, where you can snow shoe and cross country ski. Your quick stop at Wild Rock on the way will ensure the whole family has snow shoes or cross country skis to help you enjoy a fantastic winter break.
Come on…..get out and enjoy the clean snow. We’ve got lots of it!
