Tag: winter

  • Man Versus Winter

    It’s been a wild few weeks in winter-land. Storms on a twice/week basis, snow drifts up to the chin, and temperatures often plummeting down below -30°. As someone who enjoys winter endurance sports, I’ve had a few weeks of self-reflection. Last week I read iRunFar’s article “When is it too cold to run?” which got…

  • 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,…

  • To Know a Place, Run It: Reflections from the 2019 Polar Bear Marathon

    As a runner, I believe that the best way to get to know a place is on foot. Sure, you can cover ground more quickly in a car or plane, but to really know a place, you need to get out of your vehicle, plant your feet on the land, and feel the air on…

  • The Minimalism of Winter

    Last week while eating lunch and gazing out the window at the -30° cold, we noticed a small bird in the cedar by our deck. A pine siskin or similar sparrow, its gray, brown, and yellow-hinted feathers puffed out to capture each bit of warmth. Our kids jumped to the window to salute this brave…

  • Silence has found me

    When snow begins to coat the ground, as it’s been doing this week in our neighbourhood, every noise is muffled, creating a new world of silence that is breath-taking in its unexpected minimalism. Every sound that you do hear feels intentional. Somehow the birds’ songs have become clearer and more distinct, have you noticed that?…

  • Spring Always Comes

      Spring has finally arrived in Manitoba in full force. Our town is coming out of hibernation and taking a collective deep breath of rich spring air. When spring arrives every year, the memory of winter never seems so bad. But I remember this winter, somewhere between January weeks of sub -30 temperatures (Celsius, but…

  • Winter