February in Northwest Territories usually means -30 degree Celsius temperatures, and 10 layers of clothing to protect from the very real potentials of frost bit and freezing to death. However this year the weather has been so unpredictable and up and down, every week we have something else. Lately it even go in the the plus temperatures. Of course that’s pretty awesome if you want to go on a nice bush hike and be out in nature. Not sure if its best for the environment up here though.
That being said, it was an absolutely stunning and warm day, so I decided the best way to spend it would be hiking out in the bush, and seeing what mother nature had on offer this particular day.
The surroundings themselves are absolutely beautiful. Winter wonderland is the exact description I would use.
The snow was pretty deep in lots of area’s, every time I would take a step, it would go straight over the top and straight into my boot.
Just your typical ‘Snow booter’, no big deal… Scoop that right on out and keep trucking along. Ok, well it was a bit of a chilly deal after the 10th one, not gonna lie.
The scenic view kept changing, which kept the walk enthralling.
We are so lucky in this area of the world that one of the most sought after medicinal mushrooms in the world grows wild. The Chaga mushroom.
There is an ample supply of birch trees here, in which host the Chaga mushrooms. Chaga mushrooms have the highest number of antioxidants of any food, incredible immune boosting properties, anti-inflammatory, as well as anti-viral and cholesterol lowering effects to name a few. It is a powerhouse of a healer, that’s for darn sure.
When your out on the land here, it’s always prime time to do some Chaga hunting.
We were not super successful this day, but we did find some. There are times you find a area covered with Chaga. Even finding a nice chunk is awesome, and you can cut it off and take it to make some super healing tea. Yum! Health taste’s so good.
I also came across a spruce tree that was oozing with sap.
Alright, well perhaps I should say it had oozed with sap, as the sap was hard. When I was a child growing up in the bush, I spent quite a lot of time out on the land a lot. I always loved chewing on spruce sap, I called it tree gum and/or bush gum. It is also full of healing qualities and vitamins, as it comes straight out of the tree, it kinda like tree blood.
I was pretty excited when I found the sap, and straight away cut a piece off and tucked right in.
I love the taste! It definitely has an earthy taste, similar to a tea, however I love those types of flavors. I suppose because I grew up with them, so my pallet is accustomed to them. Of course a few beautiful flashbacks from my childhood came flooding in – which was absolutely wonderful in and of itself. This day had proved a be a massive success, and probably one of the best ideas ever.
Let’s not forget one very important detail. Being a lover of grounding and tree hugging, there was absolutely no way I could be out there without giving a tree a hug.
The energy exchange is undeniable, and the healing benefits are amazing. Nature always fills my soul.
After a couple hours of adventuring around, we decided to head back and end this nature filled day the only way that seemed to be the cherry on top. A good ol’ bonfire.
Not before taking in the spectacular sunset though.
It was such a fabulous day out in pure blissful nature, it was too great not to share.
What can I say, don’t underestimate the soul soothing, energy topping abundance of a day in mother natures playground. Get out there and go bask in it. Heck yes to being awesome in nature!
A Pursuit of Life - Barefoot& High Heeled 