Skiing Into the New Year

You can't help but think it's going to be an excellent day when you put on your merino wool after breakfast and anticipate being in it for the rest of the day. We decided to celebrate the New Year (happy New Year) by spending the day on our skis. As I write this, Google is showing me photos of what we did last year on this day. It turns out it was the same thing. I guess we've started a bit of a New Year's day tradition.

We had our breakfast then packed up and headed for Kawartha Nordic. We must have been really excited to get going because I almost forgot our ski boots and when we arrived I realized that I'd left the polls for our pulk behind. I guess the three year old is going to have to ski the whole way! Fortunately, the ski shop was open and they still had a pulk we could rent. I was surprised and relieved to see that they were open.

Although we had been here a week earlier we hadn't noticed that the trail map had been updated. There seems to be a ton of new trails. A huge thank you to everyone that helps us have such a great experience.

As a family we decided that we were ready to take the next step. Often when we ski at Kawartha Nordic we do the 2.5km loop to the sugar shack and back. We were all ready for more and decided that we'd ski to Laderach Cabin for lunch (Rabbit to Kenner to Deer), have a break and ski back.

Laderach Cabin

We couldn't have asked for a better day. There was a pile of fresh snow, the wind was light and the temperature was just below freezing. The conditions and grooming were perfect.

We're Off

Our three year old chose to ski first and she did amazingly well. She went much further than I imagined and seemed to enjoy herself the whole way.

Still Having a Great Time

Rabbit

Man Down!

Doing Great

As we skied I couldn't help but notice the beauty that surrounded us. I felt very fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world and to be outside enjoying it.

Perfect Conditions

Getting Close

Pulk Needs a Bumper Sticker: Skier on Board

Pond

Whole Lotta Snow

When we arrived at the cabin a fire had already be started in the wood stove. It would make a perfect spot for lunch. Our son and I polished off our lunches quickly so we set out to do some exploring while the girls finished theirs. We decided to head north on Adam Scott, west on Fisher and then we started on the new Hills trail. As we started climbing the Hills trail our son asked me why the trail wasn't groomed. We both concluded that perhaps it was too steep for the groomer, even though it wasn't that steep. It wasn't until we got to the top and saw how steep the down hill was that we understood why it hadn't been groomed.

Motoring Along Adam Scott

Steep Downhill

We returned to the cabin after completing just over 3km and tried our hand feeding the birds. We then head out (via Adam Scott to Fisher to Beaver).

A Bird in the Hand...

Bird Whisperer

Can You Spot the Recently Departed Chickadee?

Heading Back

Ski Train

Low Sun

Overall we had an amazing day with some great milestones reached by all of the kids. I can't get over how much they have improved since our last outing a week ago. I love that they are so excited to get out there. One of them said on the ski out "I wish we lived closer so we could come more often".  If you're looking to do some cross country skiing this winter, be sure to add Kawartha Nordic to your list. You won't be disappointed.

Here's hoping that 2017 is filled with outdoor adventures.