“Deep Woods Night”
Oil on Canvas
William H. Hays
http://www.theartistsloft.com/oil7e.html

Come out from the warmth to escape the cold.

As hard as it may be to believe, there is a hardy group of Torontonians that make a monthly pilgrimage into the north in search of yet colder temperatures and more snow. Several ski resorts offer a moonlight cross country ski with lantern lit trails.

Before you even strap on your skis there is a 100 KM trek up highway 400. My ski buddy and I occupied ourselves with banter of generational ski stories hearkening back to our youth. The pauses in conversation offered opportunities to observe the gradual shift in climate from the then snow-less tundra of Toronto to the more typically Canadian snow covered countryside. Upon our arrival, the sun surrendered to a crystal clear sky, as only a winter night can offer. The stars which quickly revealed themselves didn’t twinkle as they do in the heated updrafts of a summer night. Instead they shone resoundingly as if in contempt of the bone chilling -12 Celsius. The wind was strong in the parking lot and I was curious to know how the 6K trek was going to work out, feeling chilly already.

In the clubhouse there was a line of people purchasing trail passes and renting equipment. Mockingly, while under my visible breath, I wondered if I had found the world’s largest collection of long underwear-wearing masochists? The diverse lineup consisted of bus groups, — such as the Toronto Bicycling Network (which offers ski programs) — the old and young all speaking different languages and dialects.

We were soon underway. There is nothing like cross country skiing to warm up on a cold day. The forest canopy blocked the wind and all noise we urbanites were familiar with. We were all collectively struck by the deafening silence and serene darkness of the Copeland Forest. Some skiers wore headlamps looking like obstetric doctors cutting their way through the night.

Despite the occasional paraffin lantern, our more gradual, less illuminated trek was similar to an experience in a sensory deprivation tank. The only interruption in the isolation came from the occasional distant chugging of a freight train and the gentle trickle of a forest creek. About halfway through, my heightened senses detected fragrant burning pine and distant the flicker of a bonfire.

Marshmallows and apple cider were provided free of charge to the welcoming congregation. A toasted marshmallow offered my taste buds a throwback to my youth. I felt a kindred joy with the assembled children who were having so much fun that it could have just as easily been a midsummer night. The temperature was a distant memory left some 3K behind at the parking lot.

The trail continued from there in a loop which offered a gentle uphill and a brisk downhill. Effort and reward; cross country has no ski lifts; either does life. Slowly, while trudging upwards, the sky over the valley wall brightened with an indomitable light. In a seeming instant, the moonlight pierced the forest canopy casting dots of light over the sylvan glade creating a live impressionist painting. I have no talent for painting but seldom think much of it; however, beholding this site I felt the lacking.

The trail looped back to the bonfire such that you were never very far from warmth, food and drink. The experience offered the perfect balance between thoughtful isolation and warm camaraderie and uniquely balanced dark and light. Most Torontonians bitterly bemoan the winter and can’t wait to be rid of it. The moonlight ski offered a terrific opportunity to escape the cold by heading straight into it. Cold is only a problem if you are not in motion. Perhaps this notion offers a wider metaphor for life.

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Toronto Bicycling Network Pictures
http://www.tbn.ca/gallery/v/xcski/Horseshoe-Valley-February-11-2006/
http://www.tbn.ca/gallery/v/xcski/January+30+2010/