Spring Has Sprung

Nearly a month after the first official calendar day of spring, it’s safe to say spring has actually sprung around these parts. The windstorms have blown the last of the rotten ice off many of the larger lakes, the snow has melted from most of the south-facing slopes and lush patches of green grass are dotting the landscape.

 

Salt and freshwater fishing licenses were purchased at the start of the month, with the first trips of the season now either already done or planning is well underway for them; hunting licenses were also purchased, and we eagerly await the arrival of black bear tags that are coming through the mail. Trips to Canadian Tire this time of year always result in a mixed cart of goodies being wheeled out the door – a bit of fishing tackle, some hunting gear, a couple cases of jars and stacks of canning lids in preparation for a new season of preserving.

It can feel a bit paralyzing, the first few days of beautiful spring weather. How should your time be spent? Hike around to scout out some new hunting ground, go shooting at the gun club or get the boat out on the lake for the first time this season? Or maybe you’ll go through your tackle boxes to make sure everything is ready to go for that first trip of the season, then head out for an evening walk and do a bit of foraging?

 

All it takes is the blink of an eye and the options are suddenly endless – there’s rainbow trout to catch, morels to harvest, berries to pick and bear pepperoni and sausage to be made. Trips to the ocean will hopefully result in a cooler of crab, prawns and salmon coming home to be put into the freezer, and just like that, we’re dipping into another season of preserving.

One thing about living in a region that has four distinct seasons is you learn to appreciate every one for its own beauty. I’m guilty of feeling this way about almost every season as it rolls around, but spring truly is one of the best times of year to get outdoors. Things change at a rapid pace, so there is something new to experience every day!