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Sandilands Ski Trails
This might be a farewell to a sad ski season, but every opportunity to ski these trails is a gift. The Sandilands trails were initially created and maintained by foresters in the region, but were handed over from the province to the care of the Sandilands Ski Club in 1992. Since then they’ve seen a…
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Primary Colours of Fall
Here’s a little Sandilands haiku to inspire your autumn adventures. As we arrived in the Sandilands last weekend, my wife remarked, “I forgot how red the grasses get.” It’s true. Every autumn we share our amazement of how even the ditches, however briefly, turn vibrant shades of red and orange. Another reminder to savour the…
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We’re Going on a Trail Run
Nothing brings out the best in human ingenuity and resourcefulness than putting obstacles in front of trail runners. This zine, inspired by Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, explores one of my favourite trail obstacles.
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The Blank Slate
It’s January 1. Happy new year. This morning I skied in the Sandilands with friends. Beneath the low gray sky, the world was white. Thick snow from a couple weeks back still caked to tree branches and needles and a thick layer of hoar frost made for a beautiful scene to take in as we…
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Desire Lines
Winter is the best time to observe “desire lines”, those trails designed and enforced by repeated use. Like-minded and like-footed travelers, if they agree on a destination, can combine forces over time to create trails to benefit all future travelers. A few weeks ago I stumbled upon these deer highways cut through the deep snow…
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Winter Reveals
“Summer conceals, winter reveals.” – Annie Dillard A few short months ago, the forest trails were but a thread through the lush green tunnel. Without a trail, in fact, travel through the woods in summer would prove nearly impossible. After a rain, the crowding branches leave you drenched. At times the undergrowth is so thick,…
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The Year of the Fun Run
When race cancellation emails began to fill runners’ inboxes in early 2020, causing a primary running and training motivator to fizzle, everyone was forced to look for those alternative motivations to keep moving forward. For several years I’d been finding “running as art” a good motivator for getting out the door daily (those RunHaiku won’t…