Donations: $22

Kawartha Nordic is a real gem - kilometres of woodland trails on the boundary of the Kawartha Highland Provincial Park. Weather conditions on Saturday were not stellar but we were still able to ski. The heavy wind storm we experienced the previous night brought down a lot debris - branches, twigs, leaves, pine needles and a couple of trees - on the trails. The group split up and skied on pretty much all of the trail system. Paul and Ralph took the long road to the northern most cabin, breaking trail as the first people out there that day.

On Saturday night we stayed at the delightful Village Inn in Lakeview, just 20 minutes drive from the ski area. Comfortable rooms in a pretty town, with all required amenities was our reward for trying out something new. The Thirsty Loon pub was conveniently located next door to the hotel so we didn't even need coats to go out for dinner :-)

Conditions on Sunday were much improved. The temperatures had dropped over night, so the trails were firmer, and the 2-3 centimetres of snow were just enough to allow the groomers to get out and both clear the trails and reset the tracks. We tried the southern end of the trail system, and found the hilly area. Good, steep climbs, long, well-earned runs were enjoyed by the group. This is definitely a location to be added to the TOC's list of cross-country ski centres, and the combination of the skiing at Highland Nordic plus the Inn in nearby Lakeview make for a great weekend trip.

Thanks to Galina, Ralph, and Paul for driving - these weekends trips would not be possible without the drivers.