. . . cold, barren, teeming with life . . .
…….

A Central Saskatchewan Winter can be cold, very cold – and this had some colleagues thinking me a bit crazy to be travelling there for a recent week in February.

Winter is, I might also argue, in some ways the kinder season. It kills the bugs, freezes the waterways, and covers marshland, brush and blowdown with a carpet of snow, allowing swift and easy travel into its fascinating outdoor world. The spartan white landscape of Saskatchewan’s Prince Albert National Park in winter, for instance, though cold, barren and lifeless at first glance, is in fact teeming with activity.

A small group of us strapped bear-paw snowshoes onto our winter boots to stalk around a frozen lake with Parks Canada Interpreter Lauren Markewicz on a “Snowshoe Stomp” nature program. Padding softly and silently through this snowy world on our big webbed shoes, while taking a closer look at the winter canvas, had us uncovering all manner of stories etched in the snow and ice, and at the foot of rotting trees, boulders, and beneath snow-laden boughs. All around us we witness the high drama of daily life in the wilderness. Winter provides a better opportunity than summer to see animal tracks, and to learn what the animals of our fields and forests are up to, as the daily struggle to find food and keep from being food plays out.

. . . more wildlife than people . . .

We high-step through the drifted snow caught and piled deep in the brush and trees that hem the lake, breaking a deep trail down to the ice. Then we trek along the frozen water’s edge where the walking is easier. Along the verge of the frozen wetland tracks are easily discernable in the thin skiff of snow that covers a hard-crusted base. Here went a coyote, there went a pine marten. We see where small but hardy birds have been hopping over the snow, eating the seeds from the grass heads poking up above the surface.

A mouse has come above the snow to scamper over to his next tunnel. A fox has trotted steadily one way, while a lynx has bounded the other, its big feet keeping it on the surface of the snow. Every so often there is evidence of a skirmish in the powder. Markewicz, like Sherlock Holmes, helps us interpret the scene of the grisly crime, and teaches us how much there is to see in this seemingly austere environment.

Out on the lake an otter has left one hole in the ice to leap and slide over to another. While many of the iconic animals that call Prince Albert National Park home, the lynx, fox, coyote and wolf, seem to stoically endure the tough winter months while longing for spring, the playful otters seemingly enjoy the season. They hunt for fish in the chilly water underneath the ice, coming and going through the holes they have made. They leave their distinctive frolicking tracks behind, a loping gait with belly slides punctuated by paw marks, as they propel themselves along.

It was not only the animal tracks that caught our attention. After our snowshoe, as we drove the winding, snow-packed road back to the park’s main centre of Waskesiu, we came across a curious and confident red fox. The pretty vixen, with her lush and healthy coat, posed for us on the roadside, before bounding off into the trees. A couple bends further and we stumbled upon a far-less common sighting, a lynx. The sleek feline paid little attention to our presence, crouching low, stealthfully hunting some prey hidden in the snowy depths along the bank. Then, as we reached the outskirts of Waskesiu, we came across some cow elk foraging along the roadside, unconcerned by our appearance.

If you love winter then Saskatchewan’s Prince Albert National Park is the place to go. The nearly 4,000 square kilometre park is one of rolling hills, snow-draped conifers, and marshlands, lakes and rivers. The impressive park showcases the amazing ecological diversity found in the transition between prairie fescue grasslands and the lakes and wetlands of the mixed wood boreal forest. And winter is an excellent time to explore the park without the crowds.

At the heart of the park is the pretty town of Waskesiu. This is where we met our snowshoe guide at the park Visitor’s Centre. At the Hawood Inn you can also get a good meal, and borrow snowshoes or cross-country skis. It is the skis that will get us out for our next day’s adventure, as we tackle the 19.6 km Crean Lake Ski trail. With long gentle slopes, this trail parallels the Heart Lakes along a summer access road, passing through mature coniferous forest dotted with balsam fir.

The skiing is beautiful but challenging. I am left to wonder why, if you are skiing from Point A to Point B for lunch, and then afterwards you return along the same route to Point A, both directions seem to be mostly uphill. While it sounds like the proverbial but impossible ‘walk uphill to school both ways tale’ our parents love to tell, I have a theory. I realize that it takes only 15 seconds to swoosh down a hill and a minute to shuffle back up, meaning that, timewise, you are heading uphill 75% of the time. The meditative and seductive pace of skiing allows one plenty of time to consider such mathematical equations!

When I get in a rhythm and am not worried about the uphill exercise, I am left in awe at the experience. This backcountry realm is a world apart, delivering doses of crisp, refreshing air and blissful solitude. The beautiful north Saskatchewan woods glisten as the sun reflects off balsams laden with snow. There is nothing but the crush of trees and the sound of wind and birds, (and my heavy breathing). Black-capped chickadees, jays, ravens, and woodpeckers flit through the white treetops. Over 20 species of birds make Prince Albert National Park their winter home. Whiskey Jacks (Gray Jays) gather whenever I stop to catch my breath, forever watching, hopeful for a handout.

We ski to the Crean Lake hut beside the frozen lake, to enjoy a warming fire and a boxed lunch, and then set off on the return journey. I scan each frozen lake we pass for the park’s resident wolves, but see only squirrels scampering up and down tree trunks to snack on their winter caches of seeds. Back at Waskesiu we are rewarded for our skiing efforts with a lesson in Bannock making over a fire, plumping up and browning the dough over coals, before eating it slathered with Saskatoon berry jam.

Prince Albert National Park was created in 1927 as a recreational playground, and there is much to enjoy here year-round. Today, it has grown into a precious preserve, notable for the 200 strong wild plains bison herd that roams along the park’s southwestern border. Freeze-up and winter arrives quickly here, meaning there is usually enough snow for skiing and snowshoeing from early December to late March. If you love a cold wintry adventure, where you will find more wildlife than people, I would suggest you make tracks to and trek in this wonderful National Park.

If you go:

Drive north of Saskatoon for 2.5 hours to reach Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park. The park’s winter landscape is accessible from a selection of lodges and resorts, each offering an array of winter activities and adventures. Dining is available at the Hawood Inn or at Elk Ridge Resort.

Elk Ridge Resort – offers winter activities on its impressive grounds, skating, skiing, snowshoeing, curling, and a strange game called crokicurl, half crokinole and half curling. An indoor pool, waterslide and hot tub are perfect at the end of a day of adventure. I put on my skates to glide around its 450-metre oval course, while white tailed deer gather rink-side to heckle me. The night-time sky is lit with the amazing whites, greens and reds of the aureoles borealis.

Kapasiwin Bungalows – a picturesque setting overlooking the beautiful waters of Waskesiu Lake in Prince Albert National Park.

Parks Canada and Tourism Saskatchewan can both be relied upon for local guidance and travel information.

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