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Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, drops of dew and flakes of snow. Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord, praise him and highly exalt him forever. The Benedicite – Based on the Book of Daniel and Psalm 148 form the core of this canticle.
The Nith River is flat water with a few riffles, but rain and snowmelt can significantly increase the flow rate. In early spring the maximum flow rate reaches a median value of 30 and mean of 40, but commonly exceeds 200 m3/s, causing major flooding in the flat region upstream such as in and around New Hamburg. The Nith offers excellent paddling conditions in April, the flow rate drops below 5m3/s and becomes unsuitable for paddling. It was named Nith after the River in Scotland.
In the winter it’s a different story. It can be frozen solid and provide an opportunity to skate for miles into the wild if you have a mind to.
Reese, my Lab and I were hiking in with a loaded snow trek sled from the parking lot at the old Scout Camp. We [I mean me, he only plays] set up in a protected clearing to enjoy a blast of hot tent camping in the first week of February.
It was cold! The air was bitter, brisk, frigid, snapping and stinging. The temperature without the winds was minus twenty degrees Celsius [in American – minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit]. The day before we arrived the temperature had dropped slightly and every tree and twig in the forest was covered in a greyish white crystalline deposit of frozen water vapour. Everything was brilliant white; so much so I wore sunglasses during the day to prevent snow blindness. It was a Tuesday and there was a full moon that night that cast a brightness that made the night almost day like. And silent… The only sound was the ice crystals beneath my boot that crushed the snow making a squeaking and crunching sound. Every now and then you would hear a severe crack and then a limb would crash to the ground. Reese would jump at this strange sound from the hidden forest.
I logged my trip and colleagues knew where I was and the time expected back. Other than Reese, I was totally alone. We discovered deer droppings and coyote tracks but never saw anything or heard any birds chirping during the day. There was an occasional yelp from some animal in the dead of night, but other than that we were isolated and about two miles from the Scout Camp parking lot.
I loved every minute of it. With Prayer Book in hand, I said all the Daily Offices, hiked until Reese and I were tired or that just may have been me because Reese seemed to have an abundance of energy. We ate well, slept well and sort of Chilled out!
We thank you, Lord, for the seasons and for the seasons of our life. Amen
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