Out With The Old

December 31, 2012,

What better way is there to finish off the year 2012 than to get out and do something active. The morning of December 31, 2012, I was in Tofield so it was natural for me to choose to ski in the Cooking Lake Recreational Area. I started at around 9:00 AM from the Islet Lake staging area, skied the Lost Lake Trail to the west end of Elk Push Lake then I returned on the Push Lake trail back to the Lost Lake trail and back to the parking lot. I finished my ski at around 10:30 AM.

When I first visited Islet Lake I my thoughts were, "this is place must be a well kept secret" because it seemed to have all of the serenity and beauty of Elk Island National Park without the people. As time has past I believe I notice more people are using the area. Currently there are no user fees for using this area so I am not surprised if, in fact, there is an increase in visitors.

As I arrived at the Staging Area there were a few cars in the parking lot, all skiers I think, but, on my ski I was only over taken by one pair of skiers, so, even though there were other people on the trails I was still favored with ample solitude during my ski. As I negotiated the undulating terrain through the poplar woods, interspersed with birch groves and white spruce, I was in familiar territory but still feeling the thrill and adventure of the days activity.

During my ski back, on the Lost lake Trail, I particularly enjoyed the view of Islet Lake cloaked in a blanket of snow. Winter has its way of subduing the landscape which deepens the solitude one will find there.

 During this outing I skied about 6.5 km. in about 1 hr. 27 minutes.