May 10, 1999

    It's 8:00 AM - the sun has been up for almost 3 hours, there isn't a cloud in the sky, and the only sounds are those made by hundreds of geese, ducks and songbirds. I've just come back from a walk on the deserted beach of Lake Bennett, and the sand is still frozen, although the sun is comfortably warm. Except for a patch of open water about 50 yards wide and 300 yards long right in front of my cabin, the lake is still completely frozen over, with no hint of breaking up in the near future.

The cabin in February - silence and peace at minus 25°

    Most people visit the North in mid-summer (July and early August), and stay in close proximity to other people. This week, I'd like to show you some other options.

    The biggest drawback to traveling early or late in the season is, of course, the weather. Last week, we woke up to heavy snow 3 mornings - 3-4 inches each time. Although this is an unusual year, and the snow was mostly gone within a few hours, the roads were terrible for a while each day, and anyone who chose to (or had to) travel during that time cursed the snow. Being adaptable and flexible will make any trip to the North more enjoyable - off-season, it's a necessity.

    You also need to be more independent to travel off-season, as many facilities are not open until May 15 or even later. That includes some highway lodges, gas stations and hotels, and most museums, information centres and attractions such as local tours. That may mean you want to plan ahead in more detail so you know what is available, or it may mean exactly the opposite - you just load the car with all the gear you could possibly need and head off to see what appears.

    For those of you whose main interest is in nature, off-season travel is highly recommended. Spring in the North is an exciting period for nature-lovers, as the land wakes up and every creature is on the move. The chances of seeing large animals such as caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bears is greatly increased early in the year. You don't need to camp out in a tent to get close to this rebirth, either - despite the number of places that are closed, there are an enormous number of accommodation options that will allow you to see nature up close, often right from your bed if you choose. On this site, I've linked to many facilities that are right on lakes or rivers or in large wilderness tracts. Have a look through these listings to see what is available (many are actually worth looking through just for the wonderful photographs):

• Bed & Breakfasts - most are open year-round
• Cabins - the majority of these are in wilderness areas and are available year-round, but most are only available for a week or more as a minimum.
• RV Parks
• Wilderness Lodges
• also take note of the regional B&B associations, and reservation services, both of which have properties which aren't listed anywhere else.

    I mentioned the hundreds of geese, ducks and songbirds around my cabin this morning. Even with the Audubon Society's excellent Field Guide in my hand I'm not great at bird identication, but some of the ones I can list are 6 Canada geese, a pair of Gray jays at my feeder, robins, about 60 gulls (at least 3 different types), 100 or so mallards, 40 Barrow's Goldeneyes and another 100-150 ducks of several kinds...

    If you're looking for not just a holiday but a chance to re-discover the beauty of the world, come on up and see us in the spring. If you have questions about what to expect or how to prepare, feel free to drop me a line.