The hills are alive with the sound of... snowmobiles?

A top of the line sled runs twenty grand or better. In these parts, you're lucky to get six weeks of open trails. Needless to say, the sledders will be out in force those six weeks.

There's nothing like having a wonderful nature hike out in the woods. The true believers call that "forest bathing."

I'll be hiking down the Kinch side-road, breathing deeply of the pure forest air, focusing on living every single moment to the full, letting go of pressures and making peace with long-standing anxieties...

And then a parade of twenty sleds blasts by, because the Kinch side-road becomes an official snowmobile trail every winter.

Don't get me wrong. I've always been a big fan of loud machines that go fast. They're not nearly as loud as they used to be, and they don't stink as much either.

But still, it tends to ruin the forest bath.