Winterlude 2010

When I stepped off the Via Rail train at the Ottawa Terminal 30 years ago I said a quiet ‘hello’ to a city that would set the stage for a new chapter of my life. I smiled up at the midday sun and quickly noticed the streets were void of any trace of the mid winter landscape I had left behind just 12 short hours ago. Much to my chagrin, it didn’t take long before the temperatures plummeted and the winter blizzards I had hoped I’d left behind had all but paralysed the city. Local government offices, schools and banks were shut down and workers sent home on the few arteries leaving the downtown core. The Queensway was nowhere near its present size boasting only two lanes in either direction and Kanata and Orleans, primarily rural farmland. 

One of the highlights of that first winter in Ottawa was the Rideau Canal. It had in recent years been groomed as a skating rink, the world’s longest, and for previous two years was the setting of a new festival called Winterlude. I bussed to the canal almost daily to skate the length between Dow’s Lake and the NAC.. and back. That actually happened by mistake the first time when I realized I’d left my boots in the change hut at the NAC and had to skate back to get them. Then it just became my ‘thing’. 

Included in the festivities was a competition to have individuals or groups apply to carve ice sculptures at Dow’s Lake. I joined a group of my friends from Bell Northern to chisel a sculpture that on paper was so elaborate and intricate, the gang felt certain we’d win top prize. I believe the final statue ended up being a canoe but we had a ton of fun out there. These days Winterlude is one of the largest winter festivals in North America and for three weeks in February attracts visitors and ice carvers from around the world. People are so happy to be outdoors with family and friends but believe me, the happiest ones are usually around the BeaverTail or the Poutine stands. 

..and I always giggle (to myself) when I catch the odd skater realizing they’ve left their boots somewhere.... very far away.