Deliverance at last from the malevolent threat inherent in icy trails, to our great relief. Night before last there was a light snowfall, followed by ice pellets which eventually became rain as the morning wore on. Added to that little bonus was the face that the temperature rose from -16C to 6C by mid-afternoon. No boots for Jackie and Jillie yesterday!

Less fuss, far less, in getting prepared to forge out into the woods. And when we did venture out it was to find our driveway crusted with ice and slippery, hence the continued need for cleats. But strangely enough, the road was nowhere near as icily-dangerous as it has been for the past week. Enough of a fine crust over the sheer ice to give a modicum of reassuring traction.

There was another difference made abundantly clear as we looked off into the distance. Mist had resulted from all those alternating atmospheric conditions and a winter fog had settled in; light and diaphanous and mysterious. All the more so once we delved into the forest.

An otherworldly quality seems to be emphasized in those conditions, inexpressibly lovely and with just a hint of the unknown lurking behind it. And then, as we progressed along the trails, comfortable in the milder temperature prevailing, we became aware of a light rain descending and gradually picking up pace, but never to the point of achieving a disturbing presence.

Good thing, the thought went instantaneously through our minds, that Jackie and Jillie were wearing their winter raincoats. I'd brought out their fluffy winter jackets and my husband substituted them for the raincoats before we dressed them for the outing, and a good thing that was, too.

There was nothing uncomfortable about the rain; we were well shielded both from the cold and the rain since our winter jackets are fairly impervious to both. So we had no hesitation about embarking on a good, long walk. One of assurance of balance, furthermore, since the snow, pellets and freezing rain of the night before had ensured that an ice-covering crust had been laid down on the forest floor making the trails more than passably footing-secure.

That, in and of itself, made a colossal difference. Where in days past, we found it necessary to bypass the trails altogether in favour of delving off-trail into the woods to thread our way through safely where there was crusted snow to tread on with the comfort of knowing it offered stability unlike the iced-over trail we had abandoned, it all made for a far more enjoyable hike.

Ascents we had detoured around, taking alternate trails to avoid the steep inclines and with them the potential of slipping, sliding and falling to a thump, were now readily accessible. Which made for a leisurely tromp through the woods, giving us ample opportunity to appreciate the misted beauty of the snow ornamenting the trees as we took our time and completed our favourite long loop through the woods.

There weren't very many people out besides ourselves, only one young man we see on occasion out walking his mother's bouncy little miniature Apricot poodle, Max, the most energetic little dog imaginable with a true sense of mischief as well as enterprise, since in his love of life and adventure little Max has learned to entertain himself and yesterday he did so with a frozen apple from one of the wild apple trees, tossing it into the air repeatedly and chasing after it as it rolled downhill -- to retrieve and repeat.