Crisp, blue skies and nearly perfect snow conditions were the order of the day when the Rainy Lake Nordic Ski Club held its second-annual Blueberry Cider Poker Run at the Rocky Inlet trails Sunday afternoon.
While the mercury didn’t climb much above minus-20 C, the lack of any windchill made the family outing a huge success, according to organizer Dr. Cam Moorhouse.
“We had about 40 people here today,” he said through his ice-encrusted goatee.
“Because it’s so cold, the snow forms ice crystals that stick to the skis and slows things down a bit, but it’s still pretty nice,” Dr. Moorhouse added while sipping some of his wife’s fabulous hot blueberry cider, for which the event is named.
Dr. Moorhouse went over the nine-km course several times throughout the afternoon, checking trail conditions and putting envelopes containing playing cards at various stations.
He also set up some snack stations for the youngsters who participated, so he was more than ready for a hot drink and hotdog by the end of it.
The club held the day in conjunction with its “Jackrabbit” program for children, some of whom were there with their parents to take on the course.
Nearly a dozen youngsters displayed their new-found skills at cross-country skiing. And the hard work they put in at the lessons was readily apparent as none of them required any assistance or advice to complete the course.
The “Jackrabbit” program, which began early in January and runs until the end of the month, is designed to teach youngsters aged five-15 the fundamentals of cross-country skiing and ultimately to encourage them to pursue it as a life-long activity.
Dr. Moorhouse said he was particularly pleased at both the number of kids who turned up and the level of expertise they displayed. Seven-year-old Emma Keeler, who two months ago was a complete novice, skied more than two km like a pro.
Of course, there was an incentive beyond cider and hotdogs.
Participants stopped at three designated stations along the route to draw an envelope. The first two stations contained three cards and the final one a single card.
If they completed the entire nine-km course, they wound up with seven cards, from which they built their best five-card poker hand.
Others opted to take a shorter route and collected six cards
Some people found the day so perfect, they skied the longer course just for fun. Cheryl Behan and Maureen Calder of Fort Frances, for instance, were the first to leave the start and elected to go an extra two km for that extra card.
Those who stuck with the shorter course finished in about 30 minutes.
This year, there were two categories: adults and children (that came about after last year’s winner of the big prize—a bottle of wine—was far too young to appreciate it).
This year’s adult winner was Jean Bujold of Fort Frances, who came in with a queens-over-eights full house. Once again, the prize was a bottle of wine, but this time there was no question about who would get to enjoy it.
Nicole Mueller of Fort Frances had the best hand in the younger set. Her nine-high straight beat all comers and she went home with a goodie bag full of writing and drawing materials as well as a pair of walkie-talkies.
But the highlight of the afternoon was the food and drink.
Hotdogs—washed down with Rita Moorhouse’s blueberry cider (or Bluenose Punch as she calls it)—made for the perfect fare on a perfect winter afternoon of fun in the snow and sun.
This year’s inaugural “Jackrabbit” program will wrap up with a series of races at Rocky Inlet for the more advanced and ambitious students. Dr. Moorhouse said these will take place either Feb. 28 or March 6.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
