Get Out There in the Cold with These Micro Adventures
When the weather outside is frightful, winter adventure is often a choice between a sport or expedition—requiring lots of gear, planning and skill—or simply staying indoors. But fresh air and nature exposure is just as important for families with little kids, older folk and those in a time crunch during the winter too. Here are nine micro-quests to try out when the thermometer plummets.
“Camp” in the Day
Since the nights are long and can be scarily cold during the deep freeze, getting out for an overnighter requires winter gear, knowledge and confidence: not something in everyone’s back pocket. That’s where the cheerful day camp comes in. Pick a day where the air crackles with cold, find a pretty spot and set up a tent with sleeping bags and mats. Build a small fire to gather and thaw by between side trips to do camp chores or any one of the other daytime ideas on this list. It’s less intimidating, fun and good practice. The best part: your warm bed awaits once the sun begins to set.
Go for a Lantern Lit Forest Walk
If camping isn’t in the cards but you still want to enjoy the peace and beauty of the winter night, light a lantern and go for a cozy forest walk. Catch some shooting stars, watch the glow bounce off snow sparkles and listen to the deep silence beyond the squeak of snow under your boots. Simple lanterns can be handmade by inserting a tea light or candle into a glass jar with a wire or string handle.
Try a Colour Matching Walk
Winter is not monochromatic. Red rosehips covered in crystals, endless shades of brown on trees and birds, neon green, yellow and orange lichen, purple kinnikinnick leaves, green needles… if you look closely there is colour everywhere. Bring a ring of paint swatch cards on your next forest walk and try to match the brightest tones with natural elements. Don’t forget to get a range of whites with undertones of pink, blue, yellow and beyond, because there is a world of technicolour hues in snow itself!
Get Creative with Snow
Admit it—when the snow starts piling up, we all get the itch to abandon our sidewalk clearing quests and crawl around in the world of creative possibilities. When its super cold, though, the dry powdery snow isn’t great building material. In lieu of snowmen, find a patch of untouched snow and use a stick or your feet to draw funny faces, animals, letters, scenes. My kids’ favourite part is running through my smiley masterpiece as soon as I add the nose, all while begging me to make another. If a fort is in order, pile up a large mound of snow, let it rest for a few hours to a day, and carefully dig it out to create a quinzee.
Track Winter Wildlife
With this one, let nature dictate your mini adventure. Winter is the best season for tracking: the snow keeps record of all the activities of the animals that don’t flee south or into hiding. Find some prints, give your best guess at who left them, whether it’s a town deer, little bird or squirrel, and follow along on its meander while imagining it’s life in the grip of winter.
Have an Animal Drawn Outing
Between meeting the animals and trying something new, horse drawn sleigh, wagon rides or dog sledding is a ton of fun for all ages and abilities. Bundle up, sip a hot drink and relish in the leisure of watching the wintry landscape go by powered by hay or kibble: the perfect activity for those sparkling days.
Find the Best Nature Sit Spot
It can seem like nature is holding its breath this season, but if you’re willing to put up with some chilly toes, practicing nature sit spot might just convince you of its liveliness. Our loud boots, chatty nature and intimidating presence sends a shockwave through the forest. Instead of simply passing through an area, slow down, find somewhere in some bushes or trees out of the way to settle in and sit completely still for a while. Wear lots of warm clothes, foot warmers and bring an insulated pad to sit on during the coldest days. Often, if you sit still for long enough, you’ll be surprised at the crescendo of life that builds as birds, squirrels, foxes and deer go back to their rhythms of winter survival.
Catch a Colour Hour
Colour hours, like alpenglow or blue hour, happen year-round, but are a wintertime special. As the sun rises or sets, the snow transforms into a paint palette, with hues of pink and orange. After the sun performs its wintry mid afternoon disappearing act, there are endless calming shades of blue. You don’t need to drive or hike far to enjoy these watercolour-esque moments either. Enjoy blue hour on your local riverside trail, glowy sunsets at the dog park and sunrise pinks with a view of some mountains for peak pleasure.
Go Stargazing
Winter is an exciting time to marvel at the realm above. The nights are long and the Milky Way is set stark against the blackness of the universe. Go for a short, quiet, crispy night walk and try identifying a constellation or catch a meteor shower.
