In mid-November 2014, I set out on a solo trip to the Manitoba Duck Mountains that was quickly derailed by -20C temperatures I was in no way prepared for. I needed to find a way to salvage trip, so Sean and Mitch joined me at the cabin to brainstorm ideas.
“Ski Hill Shelter” was somewhere in the 'nucleus' of the Kamsack Ski Club’s 50-km network of trails between the Madge Lake golf course and Batka Lake. It would be an easy 5 km hike, but I had not been to one of the shelters since I was ten years old. I could not recall if they were fit for sleeping or breeding hantavirus.
We packed minimal camping gear and left late in the afternoon. Jean-Paul (dog) whirled around us as we hiked up and down the sun-mottled hills. We arrived at the shelter just before dusk, unsure what to expect, but hoping it would be enough to stay warm.
Lucky for us, the shelter was completely outfitted with a furnace, axe, firewood, frying pan, candles, cooking utensils and matches. Practically more amenities than my apartment.
With a roaring fire in the wood stove, it was home sweet home.
While I had started my weekend with plans to rough it alone, finding the ski shelter was a welcome substitute. Freezing alone in a tent was easy to forget in the company of friends, cooking on a wood stove and watching Jean-Paul chase a squirrel or two.
After the night’s conversations were over, I climbed up the loft and collapsed on my sleeping bag. The last thing I saw before falling asleep was was the night sky outside the frosted window, backed by the quiet crackling of fire in the stove.
Definitely not roughing it.
