The First Snow

I am always thrilled at the sight of the first snowfall. A few days ago I awoke to my day and was pleasantly surprised to see outside my window that there was a soft fresh blanket of snow covering the pines and forest floor. In my remote cottage near the great James Bay, winter comes early and this first snow provides a reality check that freezing temperatures and icy roads are on the way.
It was obvious to me this past week that the weather was going to turn cold as I could see it in the colour of my campfire, in a soft ring around the moon and in the frantic comings and goings of An-nee-koh-cha-sh (squirrel) as he readied for winter. Still, I never really feel that winter has arrived until that moment when I climb out of bed and witness for myself that the fluffy stuff has once again turned the world into a Christmas postcard.
We humans are not so different from our animal and bird friends when it comes to getting ready for winter. Like them we begin to sense the cold weather coming and we do what we must to get ready for it. In northern towns all across Canada people are fixing up their homes to make them more cozy and weatherproof. They are also getting out the snow blowers and all sorts of shovels that they will need close at hand for the coming tons of white, fluffy and often wet and heavy snow.
Those living in the far north are making sure their water lines won’t freeze, cleaning the wood stove chimneys, ensuring that there is a sufficient stockpile of cut and split firewood and sealing up any leaks in floors, walls and windows. We have more in common that we like to admit with the Amisk (beaver), An-nee-koh-cha-sh (squirrel), Mah-keh-shoo (fox), Mah-ee-kan (wolf) and all those creatures of the northern forest. All of us are trying our best to be ready to survive the blizzards, minus 20 or 30 below zero temperatures and hazardous conditions.
Perhaps Mah-s-kwa (bear) has the best idea in terms of dealing with winter. They simply curl up in a nice cozy place and drift off to sleep with a full belly until spring. Then again maybe Niska (Canada goose) has the right way of thinking with an escape flight to warmer climates in the south.
I warmly recall the first snow when I was a child back up north in Attawapiskat. That day was very special for myself and the others in our little remote community. It meant that freedom was on the way. As a remote, fly-in community we have few roads to travel on in the spring, summer and fall. That meant that we were really tied down to our town. You would think we Cree would love the short summer season we get but in general we all prefer winter. In the summer we can’t leave town and we must put up with millions of mosquitoes, black flies, dear flies and all sorts of nasty flying creatures primarily interested in sucking the blood out of us.
Winter brings us a frozen land with lots of snow and our lakes and rivers turn into highways that we can travel over on snow machines of all sizes and sorts. The frozen season also allows us to construct the winter road and that means we have an ice highway out of town to other communities along the James Bay coast and the route south to Moosonee. It really is a big deal to all of us to be able to jump into a truck and drive to the train station in Moosonee and then go by rail to Cochrane, Ontario. From there we can access highways, trains and flights to anywhere in the province, country and even the world.
So, my awakening to the first snow of the year will always mean freedom, the excitement of moving across the land on snow machines and being able to find a peaceful spot under the cover of towering pines where I can build my fire and enjoy some piping hot tea.www.underthenorthernsky.com