Long Ski, Long Bay

January 25, 2012, Ski Long Bay, solo.

When I set out for Cold Lake Provincial Park my intention was to see if there were groomed ski trails in the park. The snow cover this year, as of January 25, has not been sufficient to properly set a ski track so I wasn't sure how the skiing would be on the Park trails. As I pulled into the parking lot near the beach I could see ski tracks were mostly nonexistent. Nevertheless, I skied south from the parking lot on the trail directly to Long Bay on Cold Lake. I I managed to stay upright as I expertly negotiated the tricky down slope to the frozen bay with little more than some slough grass lodged in my bindings. Once on the bay I found that a trail had been groomed that followed the shore line of the bay. Normally that ski trail crosses a portion of the bay and then continues onto land but, likely due to the reduced snow cover, the lake shore was the better place to groom a track. My curiosity over took me and I had to discover where this track would take me. I think I made the best time on this track that I ever made. At times I did over 5 km/hr, and yes that is good going for me.
The advantage of winder is that the marks in the snow, whether tracks or patches of blood, tell a story and shows me that, as my brother would put it, "a drama in life occurred". I found two such patches and my guess is something had been eaten by a coyote. Between the coyotes and the ravens not much, apart from a few red flecks in the snow, gets left behind. A stark reminder that for many creatures this is a harsh and dangerous world.
My skiing wasn't entirely tranquil. A car driven by an Icefisherman, I assume, pulling a large sled rattles by. A military helicopter flying at tree top level slinks along on the far side of a low hill. Military aircraft from the local military base do long loops in the ski overhead. This is all part of life in the Cold Lake area.
I reach the apex of the track and take a break to rehydrate before starting my return. I reminisce about days when I paddled this bay decades earlier. I resolve that, come summer, I will paddle this shoreline again. On my return I feel that my progress is slower as I am tiring now. A snow squall moves in bringing almost white out conditions. The aircraft are gone now and amidst the swirling snow my winter tranquility returns.

Distance: 12.5 km.

Moving time: 2 hrs 35 min Stopped 10 min

Moving average going 5.1 km/hr., Moving average coming back 4.9 km/hr

Max elevation 2094 ft.