Allison Steffmann Jersey City, NJ, USA

“People in Ontario can’t stop talking about the beauty of Algonquin Park, and I agree with them. Our trip there this past summer was amazing. I’ve never stopped to wonder how it looks in the winter though, beyond picturing a big “CLOSED FOR THE SEASON” sign over the entrance gate. Saturday might go down in my record books as one of those pivotal days. On the surface it was nothing more than fun – a 4-hour snowshoe trip through the Track and Tower trail in the park. In the long-term outlook though, it was the day I finally “got it”. I’ve always looked at snowshoeing as an end in itself. You strap on snowshoes and you walk around because it’s neat to have snowshoes on. Yesterday I learned that it’s actually the means to an end, and the end is: hiking in the winter. Epiphany! Winter sports! What a fantastic concept! You don’t have to batten down the hatches and count the days until spring.”