Another typical winter day in Nova Scotia!

-Meaning, there is nothing 'typical' about a winter day in Nova Scotia. Our Boxing Day Hike has been done in sun, rain, snow, ice, +15 degrees and -10 degrees.

This was somewhere around the 10th hike. All I know, it is an Annual hike, and again un-interrupted.

-And using the above numbers, rain, windy, and +9 is typical, eh!

Meeting at a 'Timmies' near you, the nine (9) hikers had a warming brew and greetings with Scott and Alyssa (nee Levy) Vernon (son Gideon, and afriend from Hong Kong) and their friends from Ontario, Matt and Cecelia(sp?) who seem to try to do the hike every second year--made it to Timmies anyway.

After ensuring that the rain was going to continue, it was off to Jack's Lake trail head for Viking, Helga, Scrounger, Motor Home, Fireball, 6'4" and his wife Peggy, The Sungod, and the always smiling Judy Hunt. Also going with their masters were K-9 members Chip, Mad Max, Tessa, and Lewis the Licker.

After an uneventful 30 minutes slogging through the snow, ice, and mud we arrived at a great spot to settle down and have a fire and test the various delicacies we had brought. We first put up a tarp (OK, so it was an umbrella hung in a tree), we built a big roaring fire (OK, so it was a liter of fuel, poured on a big bush, and a lit piece of toilet paper thrown on---Whoosh!), and then we had numerous crackers, cheese, chocolates, cookies, and candies. 6'4" even had the nerve to swill a brewskie in the not nice day.

After 'standing' around, enjoying? the weather and comradeship, it was time to head back to our vehicles (and a warm shower)--slipping and sliding through the snow, rain, ice, and mud.

Will next year's weather be any better?

I'm betting it will be just another typical Nova Scotia winter day, eh!

Cheers and best wishes toward 2006.

The Sungod, Birder, and C.S. Lewis