We’ve always said, you can’t truly enjoy Ottawa in the winter if you don’t get outdoors. After skipping winter last year, we were happy to get back on our skis and check out the conditions in Gatineau park. So far, it hasn’t been a great year for snow, but the cross-country skiing has been pretty fabulous. A year of cycle touring has done wonders for our endurance too!

On weekends, we ski out to one of the many cabins for a nice dinner by the wood stove. Our favourite cabin looks out onto the Ottawa valley from above. Often we will sit at the window at night and trace out the river by following the winding darkness between the lights of the farmsteads.  The flickering orange light of the fire shines through the glass door of the wood stove, and we sit and watch the dancing shadows as we warm our toes and our dinner.

Skiing in the moonlit quiet is a magical experience, but daytime skiing is wonderful too – and it permits photographs.

Scott climbing a hill in Gatineau Park on a bright sunny day.