Saskatchewan’s long winter is notorious for its wicked winds, intense blizzards and lingering cold spells. These conditions often inspire people to cozy up indoors, but others are choosing to embrace the season outside.
“The boreal forest is beautiful in winter,” said CJ Lessard, a wildlife photographer near Prince Albert National Park.
She regularly bundles up and trudges (or snowshoes) through the frosty woods in search of a quiet place to hunker down and wait for foxes, elk or otters.
“You’re being very still, usually, and quiet. You just become part of what they’re doing. It’s an amazing feeling,” Lessard said.
She first became immersed in nature photography as a form of healing after injury.
“I was so severely injured with physical injuries — that included a head injury — that I had a lot of time just sitting and being still,” she said. “One of the health professionals had recommended that I spend time outside in nature, so I started doing that.”
She’s been at it ever since. The photographer embraces the boreal forest during all seasons, but said there is a special kind of beauty that emerges as frost coats the trees, sunsets come early and fog changes the landscape.
“It’s a very peaceful place,” she said. “I think everyone should experience it.”
Lessard is trying to spread the love of nature with photos that she posts to social media under the name “woman of the forest.”
“You don’t need to know who I am. You need to know about these animals and the wilderness and this beautiful forest that we have.”
Like Lessard, Robin Campese is encouraging people to layer up and head outdoors.
“There is something for everyone,” said Campese, executive director of the visitor experience branch with Sask Parks. She said staff have been working hard to create more experiences for the season.
The uptake in interest has been noticeable.
“I feel like the Grinch at the end of the movie, where the heart just grows and grows multiple times,” she said. “There’s such a passion here, and to be witness to people enjoying the park and families and all of the memories, it’s incredibly rewarding.”
Campese said people can head out to the parks across the province for skating, skiing, disc golfing or tobogganing — among other activities.
For folks who want to learn how to navigate outdoor fun during the winter, Campese said there are plenty of guided experiences on offer.
“Winter at times can be harsh here. Sometimes, when you’re into the forest it can all look the same particularly in the winter, and so that guided experience helps people gain that comfort level and really learn some new skills by people that are experts in that area.”
Some new experiences offered this year include skidooing at Duck Mountain Provincial Park, snowshoeing among the chickadees out at Pike Lake, or learning how to cross country ski at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park.
“There’s a lot of stress relief and enjoyment people get from coming to the parks,” Campese said.
“The more activities that we can promote and expose people to, the more we’re enhancing life for people.”
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