There's something about the way snow falls in the forest that makes it an especially magical place to be for the first dusting of the season. Maybe it's in the way that the trees look black under the clean whiteness of the snow, or how picturesque it looks falling gently between evergreen branches and onto a forested path. I personally, can't think of any other place I'd rather be during the first snowfall of the season than in the quiet calm of the mountain forests, my boots making prints in fresh snow, the air cold against my face.

Thanksgiving Monday happened to be the first good snow of the year, it also happened to be one of my best friends birthday. True to form, she gathered a group of friends and family to hike up the Matevic Draw trail with her to celebrate in pure Jackie fashion, inclement weather, a hard workout, and some great laughs. We parked at the cross country ski area in Sparwood, by the old ski hill, and started our cold morning hike by heading up the powerline road to the newly marked Matevic Draw trailhead.

The path winds its way up steadily through thick overgrown areas of brush, the light snow over the fallen leaves made the path quite slick and in some places it's very narrow. It's marked sporadically with orange flags on trees but without the complete cover of snow it's still easy to find the trail.

I found my myself stopping often to look around. The views on the way up might not be sprawling landscapes but they're still gorgeous, trees and moss that go on and on seemingly forever. The trail took a sharp left switchbacking up towards the ridge and headed into a steep section.

Finally, we reached the viewpoint where we would be calling it a day. The trail continues up and onto the ridge above if you wanted to further explore. The viewpoint where we stopped is really nice, it gives a wonderful vantage over the town of Sparwood and there's an area to build a fire and stay awhile. We lucked out and the clouds lifted just enough to reveal our hard earned view as our group reached the top.

This hike was 11km with 609 meters of elevation gain round trip. There are a few steep sections and it is a bit longer than the adventures I've written about before, so keep that in mind if you decide to undertake this hike. I would take my son along on this one in the summer time when the paths aren't so slick.

What's next for me?: The giant ammonite