After a wonderful lunch under the great blue sky and the warm sun shining down, our bellies were full. A few of us, myself included, brought ourselves into a position on the ground, laying on ones back, facing south, and with ones face into the southern sun. This simple act of post-lunch sunning, was very luxurious.

After a while, post-lunch sunning ended. Our spirits were bright, and we snowshoed on, to the far north-west corner of this smaller lake, to a beaver dam I was excited about. The group was given 2 options. You could cross the dam, and walk along the other side of the creek, or stay on this side of the dam, and also follow the creek down stream. I chose to cross the beaver dam, just so I could cross it, and cross it again, and opted to walk on the North side of the dam where it appeared to have more sunshine. A forest full of evergreens, my new friend Allanah, who is a skillful birder, pointed out to me some grouse tracks she had found! Thank you Allanah, I wouldn’t have seen these without you!

We followed these for a bit, as they weaved in and out of the trees. The cute tiny forest-chicken, just doing its thing, and we were lucky enough to come across a grouse scat!

Relatively fresh grouse tracks spotted by Alannah.

Continuing down stream, I took my own independent way, walking in awe of the creek to my left, the white snow lit up by the sun, and the sheer beauty of this corner of the world I had never been in. The evergreens opened up, and I was in an Alder-grove.

The little creek, continued to wind its way through the alders, becoming smaller and smaller. I was even able to step over the creek with one big snow-shoe step. The crew was slowly collecting down stream a bit further. I knew I had some time still before everyone would be there, and before we would keep going, so I took a moment to do something important.

Before I left for this trip, I made special arrangements with my 7 year old son Lou. I gave him a special necklace that I wear sometimes, and told him it was his for the week, that this would keep him strong and safe, and to keep me with him. He gave me 2 necklaces. One was a little leather pouch, with a special object inside. I would take this special object, dip it in the clear cool waters of the stream, and hold it up in the sunshine.

The group was all together again. I finished up my time with the crystal and the creek, and snowshoed over to rejoin the crew. We began to move. Almost like a heard of funny wild animals. The creek led us down, and around the corner, to where it opened up to a larger body of water that was also frozen, but likely unsafe to walk on.

My friend Danielle, had received from our friend Wes, a Yellow birch twig. If you’ve never had the chance to chew on a yellow birch twig, I encourage you to study your birch trees, properly and confidently identify yellow birch, and try chewing on a twig. Danielle offered me half of her twig. I said yes. Snowshoeing along, with my twig in my mouth, I was happy.

Panorama of where the Alder-creek flowed into. Taken from atop a large boulder I noticed, and had this desire to stand on top of. The little creek opened up into this alder swamp under the sun, and continued to get bigger as we followed it down and around to the right.

Myself looking and feeling cool with my new 20 dollar polarized sunglasses from Herberts, and my twig in mouth. One of the only selfies you’ll see in this entire write up.

We came to a trail of what appeared to be a canine. We determined this based on the type of toe pads that we could see in the tracks, the shape of the tracks, how it walked, and where it walked. It walked strait across the frozen water, maintaining a very strait trail, and through an area that was very open and vulnerable. Often a predator is most likely to walk so confidently through a large open and vast space.

Bigger than a fox, and more likely than not, wolf. A confident predator. Wolf tracks and otter tracks were beginning to almost feel like how folks in Southern Ontario feel about squirrels- a good ol’ familiar squirrel! The funniest thing happened next. I believe it was Alexis, who realized that it was the type of snow underfoot, that these wolf tracks ran through, that one could literally cut out, and lift up. Alexis asked if anyone had a saw. I happily got out my small hand saw, and passed it to Alexis, not even questioning his use of my tool. I then watched in awe, as Alexis literally sawed out a wolf track from the snow.

Soon, there were several adults with individual wolf tracks, lifted up and out off the snowy ground, and holding them up to the shining sun. The light of the sun shone through the snow, illuminating the paw print of the wolf. I found this amazing and beautiful, and I also found it hilarious. To see all these full grown adults, holding pieces of snow up to the sun, all in a line, with smiles on their faces!

Although these are real adults, there’s nothing like a removable wolf track, that can bring out the spirit of ones inner child in adults like these.

This was definitely one of those experiences you never consciously plan on having in your life.

But hey, Id definitely do it again.

After that hype died down, we continued forth, making our way back on to Sasajewun Lake, with the sun getting lower and lower in the sky.

I noticed at least 3-4 more otter holes along the bank of the lake, as we walked. I would stop to measure them. I measured 5”, give or take. Another one, about 5”. And another one, also, more or less, measured 5 inches. When I spotted what would be the fourth hole, just along this one small section of the lake, at this point in the day, I lost my vigour and excitement to go check it out, and just walked passed it. I said to myself, its probably about 5 inches. I wonder now, if it actually was…

Trekking back past where we had studied the fox tracks earlier that day, where we had found fish scales in the otter scat, we made our way back onto the solid ground, removing our snowshoes, and walking back by foot along the road. The anticipation of dinner was on the horizon!