Adventures in Snowshoeing

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The last two weekends have given me many opportunities to enjoy myself in the snow.

I had my first adventure in snowshoeing! This was a big deal because the snow is so high in places that you would sink right to your waist. Luckily we have ski-doo's and ATV's that pack the snow on the trails in the woods which makes it easy for people and dogs to pass on foot. I made the impulse decision to buy a pair of snowshoes while in Quebec City a few weekends ago, and I have since used them twice.


The snowshoeing itself was difficult at first because it was awkward to have these large pieces of plastic on your feet. The places where you put your feet actually go up and down and are not 100% attached to the larger piece that goes around your feet. When you walk the piece that is attached to your foot goes up and down but the entire snowshoe actually stays in the snow.  It is definitely a workout walking through multiple feet of snow and trying to keep up with two large puppies! What makes it worth it is the views and the beauty of the nature that I call my home. 

 What makes the months of November and December difficult up north is that you wake up in the dark and you come home from school in the dark. The earliest sunset of the year was on Friday, the sun set at 3:52pm. The sunrises happen as I wake up and get ready for school around 7:45am. The entire month of November was cloudy and snowy, but this past week has been very clear and sunny. The sun allows the sky to stay light until around 4:15pm even on the shortest days. Despite the sun, the temperature hovered around -25C (real feel -30C) for a few days last week. That is very cold and it's not even technically winter yet! These temperatures are approximately -13F (real feel -23F). Unfortunately these below freezing temperatures are only going to get lower and colder come the real winter in January.

The part of the day that makes the cold worth it is dusk when the sun sets so beautifully in the sky. The picture below was taken on Sunday around 4pm on a walk with my friend and our puppies.

Speaking of Lily, she has really been growing bigger and more beautiful every day. I am so lucky to have her with me every day up here in the Northern cold. I will be leaving her in Chibougamau over the holidays to play with other dogs and avoid the long drive south with her. I do not think that she would appreciate the 2-day, 15 hour drive back to Boston. 

This past week also marked the beginning of Hannukah, to celebrate I made some ironic eggnog-iced cookies for my friends and colleagues. They were a blast to make and tasted so yummy!


I leave to go south on Thursday, so I will post another update near the end of my holidays as I prepare to bundle up once again to journey north.

Please let me know if there is anything else you'd like to read about!

Happy Holidays everyone!

~Vicki


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