Skiing at Adam Lake in Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, Manitoba

Enrico taking in some midwinter sunshine

Enrico drove up to Belcourt from Fargo for the weekend, so I would not have to drive back this time (I'm doing some work with teachers here). On Saturday, January 20, 2019, we decided to take our friend Denise's advice to check out the cross-country ski trails at Adam Lake in Turtle Mountain Provincial Park in Manitoba, Canada.

After a substantial breakfast of toast, spinach, prosciutto, cheese, and eggs, we started out for the Canadian border. It was 21 degrees below zero (Celsius for Canada; -6 deg F), but it was supposed to warm up to 18 below by mid-day. Thankfully, there was no wind. A couple of days ago there had been a light dusting of snow.

At the trailhead, which is just a few miles beyond the border, we parked next to two other cars and went off to explore the trails, which were groomed with a double classic track. Once we warmed up, it was pleasant skiing, with views of birch and aspen, gently rolling hills, and several frozen lakes and ponds.

As skiers who mainly ski in flat Fargo, we appreciated the gentleness of the hills. It was quiet, and we did not see another skier for over an hour. There were a few shelters along the trail. Here's the one at Mary Lake. There was a wood stove inside and some benches--a good place to have lunch trailside. On the right, you can see there is a little outhouse as well--how convenient!

As we got further from the trailhead, we got to some narrower trails with just a single set of tracks. We also got to a larger cabin, with smoke coming out the smokestack, so Enrico poked his head inside. This cabin was set up for overnight visitors; in fact, there was evidence of visitors--sleeping bags and such--but no people, so he quickly closed the door and we continued on our way. Apparently, one can rent this cabin for the night. 

All the segments of trail we had skied up until this point were relatively easy and short, and we weren't really paying attention to how far we had come, but at a certain point, we realized it would be quite a ways to get back, and our kick and glide was significantly less peppy than at the beginning. We passed through the area pictured below with lots of big trees that had been knocked over, and after that, we didn't stop to take any more photos--we got colder and colder, and more and more tired.

Two and a half hours after we started our ski, we made it back to the trailhead and were delighted to have a hut with bathrooms and running water in which to change out of our sweaty ski clothes and into dry clothing. We got in the car to head further north to Boissevain to follow a tip from teacher Carmelita Hunt to try Choy's Chinese restaurant. We ordered tea and a dinner for 3 people, as we were voraciously hungry, but soon realized we would not be able to eat a fraction of the masses of food in front of us, so we carried some back over the border with us.

Thanks to Denise and Carmelita for their recommendations--we enjoyed our little day trip. It's fun to ski on new trails. What a great provincial park!