Our trek in the ravine along the heavily-snowed forest trails yesterday was nothing less than arduous. It was also entrancing. Plowing through the accumulated snow -- in the last week alone 50 cm of new snow had fallen - was quite the challenge. Particularly in places where we had to break trail. Even where a scant few others had been out before us, the scant trail they left behind was soon filled in, given the quantity of snow continuously falling all the while yesterday.

When we looked about us at the scenes constantly unfolding as we trudged uphill, along the major ridge in the forest and then downhill again, we did so through an evanescent veil of scintillating snow. The evergreens, large and small, were so burdened their branches hung low with the weight in beautiful arabesques. The wind, though light, exerted just enough pressure at times to loosen heavy layers of snow from their perch on boughs to send them cascading in a seemingly-slow choreograph from branch to forest floor.

The snow served to muffle all sound, and the environment seemed still beyond belief. Jackie and Jillie had no difficulty whatever manoeuvring their way about, despite the snow depth. And that depth didn't persuade them at any given time from venturing deeper, beyond the trail into copses of trees, to quench their curiosity over what might conceivably lie there, concealed but alluring, under the snowpack.

It really is hard to describe how exquisitely lovely everything appears in a forest being bathed in white, light coverlets of snow, how the trunks of trees become festooned with dappled layers of snow, how the entire landscape is softly mounded and rounded over in a pristine comforter nature has sent to ensure the comfort of all growing matter sheltering deep in the earth over winter.

Small forest creatures are also comforted by layers of snow which serve to insulate their burrows and nests from extreme cold levels. When snow reaches the depths that have now obtained, discretion is required; small mammals like chipmunks and squirrels know how vulnerable they are, attempting to make their way through the snow at such a depth, confining themselves to their nests or moving about through the trees as an alternative. Birds of prey and other ground carnivores make the most of those opportunities when movement is hampered for the prey they seek out, from voles and mice to squirrels.

Deep snow disadvantages large animals in the very same way, hampering the speed of their progress, and in slowing them down making them vulnerable to the attacks of coyotes and wolves eager to dine on deer, and particularly fawns. Porcupines, beaver and raccoons can pretty well look after themselves with the defences nature has given them against predators.