Skiing the La Route Verte in Rimouski

Last summer, Lisa and I hiked and cycled the La Route Verte trail in Rimouski numerous times. Our favorite section skirts the edge of the Saint Lawrence River meandering through spruce-fir forest with colorful wildflowers adjoining swaths of lush green salt marsh providing contrast to the dark blue river and sky.
Today, in the middle of winter, with temperatures hovering around 7 F and a wind chill making it feel like -15 F (according to the weather channel), the trail was covered with snow and the sky was grey. We chose a different section of the trail, one without views of the River, but which afforded a bit of buffer from wind. We buckled up our skis and headed down the trail, gliding as best we could, on freshly fallen snow. The trail was nicely groomed for nordic skis, but our slightly wider back-country skis did not fit the 'mold' very well, so we mostly made our own tracks. All went smoothly, and in spite of the cold, we were quite comfortable. It was nice to encounter two other ski groups - one young solo skier and a group of three older skiers. Below, are a few photos.

The trailhead for today's ski outing

The wide path includes two tracks for cross-country skiers

Signage along trail

Sign says I invest in my health: the

Lisa bundled up for the cold

My baklava face scarf kept my face warm
but caused my glasses to fog up.

Red squirrel

Back home, we fired up the wood stove for added warmth.

Rather than watch TV, we like to watch the fire. Fortunately, we have a huge supply of wood.
Our wood is nice and dry making me look like I know how to light a fire.