Eb's trails in Saskatchewan, between Duck Lake and Prince Albert are an awesome network of about 50km worth of groomed classic cross country skiing trails through rolling hills and spruce/pine/aspen forest. I went there with Johnny and my mom back at the end of November for a little mini-loop when the temperature was quite warm, making the hills somewhat terrifying. Now that I am a slightly more seasoned skier, I decided to go back. I recruited a couple others who were interested in some skiing, though they lacked the time or inclination to join me in an overnight campout - not to be deterred, I went up with them for the day then bade them adieu in the mid-afternoon with my tent, 2 sleeping bags, 2 mattresses, a can of beans, and a potato on my back.
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| Daytripper Graham |
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| Daytripper Johnny |
My plan was to camp then either find some other skiers or just hitch a ride from the highway to get back to Saskatoon the next day.
The trip went basically as planned. I camped somewhere in the woods off of the "Big Spruce" trail, near a fallen tree being pecked at by what I believe was a yellow-bellied sapsucker (photo - not mine! - on the right). The area was not as tracked by largish animals as the first place I had considered locating my little tent, and I figured that was a good thing (though sadly I spotted no other wildlife).
I stopped to set up camp not very long after saying goodbye to Johnny and Graham. I hadn't slept much the night before, I could tell there was quite a nasty blister on my heel, and I just felt like a little nap. That was my plan. Set up the tent, have a nap, do another little ski, come back and make dinner, then snuggle up in the tent and read for a little while before going to sleep. Maybe even get up in the night to gaze at the skies a little if it happened to clear up.
What actually happened was that I set up my tent, bundled up in my two sleeping bags with all of my clothes on, and fell asleep for 2 hours a little bit chilly but not cold. When I woke up it was about 4:30 so I had some daylight left. I figured maybe I'd go for a little ski to get the blood pumping then make my dinner. I took off a cozy bootie and started pulling on my ski boots. But halfway through this task, finding my blister to be no less painful even with the blister patch on it and feeling the chill of the air, I got to thinking that it would surely be nicer to cook while it was still light out. So I happily switched back into the booties and set about preparing my potato and bean stew, nibbling on a piece of nearly frozen chocolate-zucchini cake as an appetizer. I'd go for a little ski after dinner...
But then after dinner I got to thinking... what if somehow I couldn't find my little encampment after darkness fell? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go skiing. Besides, that blister sure was painful.
And of course once I got in the tent well my fingers were really too chilly for me to hold a book with, and it seemed like it would be a hassle to try reading it inside the sleeping bag, and besides I was pretty tired. So instead I settled down for about 14 hours of slumber.
When I had packed my tent that morning, I originally intended to bring the spacious hubba hubba. But when I looked in the closet and saw my much smaller and somewhat lighter Canadian Tire special, I opted for that instead. The good things are that it's light and has a small footprint (I can pitch it just about anywhere!), but it seems that, when the sides of the tent are frosted with congealed condensation and I'm bundled in full winter gear inside two sleeping bags, the mini tent is not quite big enough for me to lie down in, even diagonally. So my biggest complaint of the night was being a bit cramped (and that made me worry about what shape I'd be in for skiing today). As it turns out, my lengthy lack of muscle activity and folded legs didn't seem to hamper my ability to ski and all was well. Still, next time I'll bring the hubba hubba.
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| camp - cooking dinner |
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| me and my mini-tent |
The chill of the air and the boredom of solo winter camping were more than worth enduring for the experience of skiing alone through the wilderness on a beautiful morning, seeing where a multitude of animals had crossed and followed the ski trail overnight atop a light dusting of fresh snow.
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| morning in the woods |
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| frosty hairs |
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| spruce junction pose |
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| look up! |
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| snowy wingprints |
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| a wee poo that melted its way downward (not mine!!) |
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| highest point around |
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| leaving the summit |
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| fresh tracks |
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| windblown trail near the slough |
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| Corral trail's corral |
When I got back to the cabin, I lit a fire in the stove and prepared my oatmeal breakfast. Some Sunday skiers started to show up a little after noon, and a group offered me a ride back to S'toon, but I decided to try my luck with hitching on the highway instead of waiting for them to finish (I didn't feel like doing any more skiing myself). Turns out a nice woman and her daughter (who apparently spent a lot of time manning the Saskatchewan Pavilion during the Olympics) gave me a ride back to town. It was a good end to a good trip.
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| looking out from the warming hut's window |
- Kat
The trip went basically as planned. I camped somewhere in the woods off of the "Big Spruce" trail, near a fallen tree being pecked at by what I believe was a yellow-bellied sapsucker (photo - not mine! - on the right). The area was not as tracked by largish animals as the first place I had considered locating my little tent, and I figured that was a good thing (though sadly I spotted no other wildlife). 
