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"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home." Edith Sitwell
Winter has arrived!
After a long and lovely autumn, winter has finally come to Kukagami. The last bit of water turned to ice on the chilly night of December 24th. Time to get outside… snowshoeing, skiing, skidooing, ice fishing…enjoy!
Satellite Photo from January 2, 2013
Photos
The KEW website has winter photos of freeze-up and snowy landscapes. It is a great place to post stories and photos. Send these to us at kewatch@gmail.com and we'll get them online!
Trails, trails, trails!
We are fortunate to have lots of winter activities at our doorstep here are the lake. All of us who spend time here in winter love getting outside, one way or another. Please respect all users of the various trails! The ski trails in particular can be destroyed by skidoos, snowshoes, walkers and ATVs. Freshly groomed skidoo trails are also vulnerable to damage by ATVs.
Respect is the key. Let's all enjoy winter's pleasures.
Sudbury Trail Plan on Kukagami. The skidoo trail was checked on December 30th, and had at least 5 inches of ice. STP trails on local lakes will be staked this weekend. Except Wanapitae, of course! It always takes much longer to get ice.
Cross-country ski trails are now ready! Skiers can enjoy the easy 2.5 km trail, or the more challenging 4.5 km trail. Trails begin by the big white pine at the north entrance to Sportsman's Lodge.
Snowshoe trails are packed. The joy of snowshoeing is that you can go anywhere...trails not required! But if you don't want to trudge through a ton of snow, try out two nearby trails. A lovely short trail winds through the forest of ancient white pines across the road from Sportsman's Lodge. Please be careful not to step on the ski tracks. The loop goes into the forest at the junction of the ski trail.
Another trail begins beside the tall tower, overlooking Klondike Bay. You can park at the end of the short road that goes east, just north of the dump. The main trail to the lookout is about a kilometre each way. Other trails take off from there, so be sure to have a map if you wander off beyond the lookout.
Skating on the lake was great for nearly a week at the end of December. Some folks here and there make an effort to keep some ice free of snow. If you have a skating area that you would like to share with neighbours, let KEW know and we can pass on the info through the website.
Winter Walks Many winter folks walk along the road each day. When the conditions are good, walking on the lake is a great way to enjoy the beauty of winter.
Logging Update
After a long autumn of logging to the west of the Wolf Lake Forest Reserve, operations are now complete. This note from the company: Hauling out of the Wolf Mountain area is now complete. There might be some machinery left to remove from the work area, but this will be it for operations in the Kukagami area for the winter.
2013 - The International Year of Water Cooperation
The "Water for Life" decade is an International Decade for Action declared by the United Nations to occur from 2005-2015. Within this decade, 2013 was declared the International Year of Water Cooperation.
In Sudbury, we are surrounded by water and we may not appreciate the valuable resource that is all around us. Let's join the global dialogue on water with the EarthCare Sudbury "Water 2013" campaign. Browse the Earthcare Sudbury newsletter to find ways to conserve water, protect our water sources, but also to enjoy our "City of Lakes".
Here is an Update on the Roads from our Matagamasi Neighbour:
The logging company did an excellent job in sanding the Matagamasi Lake Road this year.
We have had a few people hit the ditch this winter. On December the 23rd the Deputy Mayor of Matag took the ditch, no damage to the vehicle only to ones pride but the Jeep Liberty was able to pull him out. From a reliable source the Kukagami Princess ended up in the ditch on the 27th as well. Ever helpful neighbours quickly came to the rescue and lifted her small car out of the snow bank.
In other words Slow Down.
Here are a few items that one should keep in ones vehicle during the winter:
Mitts, Hats, Candle, Shovel, Tow rope, Blanket, Flares, Flashlight, Sand/Cat Litter, as well as Booster Cables.
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