Little wonder Canadians are so fixated on the weather. It turns precipitously from mellow to maddeningly inclement. Yesterday we basked in a mild 14 degrees, the sun sailing blissfully through an ocean of blue, no wind to speak of, and it was deliriously wonderful. Except for the unfortunate fact that the ravine is drenched with the fallout of all the rainfall we've had and ricocheting from freezing temperatures at night, bouncing back to moderate day-time temperatures averaging in the 7-degree range makes for a freeze-and-thaw cycle that ends up leaving forested areas slick with muck.

Which wouldn't be so bad, actually, if it were not the fact that contracted crews now returned to work there in our wooded ravine were once again busy with their tracked vehicles over the natural woodland trails they've widened considerably, and plowed, through the weight and action of their constant to-and-fro-ing to churn up the clay surface to a gooey mass of slippery gunk.

Now, traversing those areas still open to us which we access through a series of scramblingly alternate feints and manoeuvres comes with the added entertainment of slipping and sliding as we attempt to mount the hills bushwhacking, then slip and slide back down again.

When we set out last Saturday under heavily clouded skies it was clear we'd soon be receiving something from above. Shortly after entering the ravine confines the snow began and throughout the course of our meandering circuit it picked up tempo until horizontal surfaces hosted an icing of white.

Overnight last night clouds returned with a vengeance that dropped rain throughout the night, ensuring that our perambulation through the ravine today will be full of challenges, without the pleasure that yesterday's sun and moderation brought to the expedition.