D66 (D7), 15 March 2016

Conrad: Wet wet wet!!!

It was still drizzling when we left the lovely little cabin in the woods. It was totally impossible to walk in the soft wet snow or you would sink above the knees. Fortunately, we found a little track that allowed us to avoid the tortuous roadside. We followed a few skidoo trails that vaguely went in the right direction, and it was a relief when they finally met up with the summer markers. The rain and wet conditions were a real concern, because the last 2 days we were drenched and would have had no opportunity for drying out had we been camping. I was today trying to weigh up what was worse...." Frozen to the bone" or “soaked to the skin"! The biggest problem with the rain is that it is gathering as “overwater" on the frozen lakes, sometimes 6" deep... Not pleasant to contemplate skiing through. It also made stream crossings a bit harder, to try and avoid wet feet. We had a route choice, but went for the safe option with summer markets rather than the more direct route that could lead us into difficulties with all the water on top of the snow. Eventually we arrived at the tiny hamlet of Sveet (12 houses)? And knocked on a door, where we were offered a cabin by a kindly older lady who did not speak English. It was nice to have a shorter day and get dry to prepare for the harder day tomorrow, where we have to camp.